Jakob Ingebrigtsen looked full of confidence coming into the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin on Thursday (Feb 13). What was the point of racing, he suggested confidently, if he didn’t attack the world record?
True to his word he beat not one but two world records – clocking 3:45.14 in the mile and surpassing his own world 1500m record on the way with 3:29.63.
It means Yared Nuguse’s world mile record of 3:46.63 at the Millrose Games has survived only five days.
As Ingebrigtsen followed the pacemakers in the early stages he passed 400m in 56.39, 800m in 1:52.55 and 1000m in 2:20.49 before taking the lead and going through 1200m in 2:48.39 on his way to setting new figures, with his 1500m split beating the 3:30.60 world record which he set in Lievin in 2022.
“It feels amazing. This is what happens in Lievin,” said Ingebrigtsen, who was racing for the first time since the European Cross Country Championships in December. “I’m a very happy man. You have to push all the time and focus for the whole race. It’s tough but it’s worth it when you run a time like that.”
Such was the quality of Ingebrigtsen’s time, only five men, including himself and world record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj, have run faster for the mile outdoors.
Runner-up on Thursday night, Stefan Nillessen ran a Dutch record of 3:52.70 while Cathal Doyle of Ireland was third in 3:53.18.
It sets the scene for an intriguing year. In this form for the mile, how fast can he run indoors over 3000m following Grant Fisher’s world record last weekend of 7:22.91. Will El Guerrouj’s long-standing outdoor mile record of 3:43.13 fall this year too. Can the Norwegian out-run the kickers to win the world 1500m title in Tokyo this summer?
Freweyni Hailu leads Gudaf Tsegay (Getty)
Elsewhere, Freweyni Hailu went No.3 on the world all-time women’s 3000m rankings with a world-leading mark of 8:19.98 as fellow Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay ran 8:25.12 in second.
Birke Haylom of Ethiopia was third with 8:25.37 and Nadia Battocletti ran an Italian record of 8:30.82 in fourth.
Niels Laros, the 19-year-old who was sixth in the Olympic 1500m final last year, ran a world under-20 record and Dutch senior record of 7:29.49 as he won the men’s 3000m from Biniam Mehary of Ethiopia with a powerful display.
Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands won the women’s 400m in a world lead of 50.76. In the women’s 60m hurdles, Ackera Nugent of Jamaica ran a world lead of 7.75.
In the men’s 60m, Grant Holloway continued his brilliant form as the American equalled the world lead with a 7.36 win.
In the women’s pole vault, Katie Moon of the United States cleared a world lead of 4.83m as Britain’s world indoor champion Molly Caudery jumped 4.75m in second.
Earlier in the programme, Leonardo Fabbri of Italy won the men’s shot with a world leading mark of 21.95m.
Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia won the women’s 800m in 1:59.02 with Britain’s Jemma Reekie third in 2:00.21.
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