Jakob Ingebrigtsen shattered one of the longest standing track world records* on a sweltering afternoon at the Silesian Stadium on Sunday (25) as he clocked a staggering 7:17.55 for the 3000m, taking more than three seconds off the mark of 7:20.67 set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen in 1996.
And the 12th of this season’s Wanda Diamond League series ended on a dizzying high as Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.26m to earn his 10th pole vault world record, adding a centimetre to the mark he established in retaining his Olympic title in Paris earlier this month.
In a scintillating session which saw 10 meeting records set, Canada’s world 800m champion Marco Arop clocked 1:41.87 to beat Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy won against all odds in the men’s high jump.
It was a huge performance in the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial meeting for Ingebrigtsen, who lost his Olympic 1500m title in Paris earlier this month but won gold in the 5000m.
On the eve of the competition, the Norwgian had commented: “I’m excited about the race. The 3000m is a very good distance for me, and everything is lined up for something big.”
This was big. Already third on the world all-time list with the 7:23.63 he ran in Eugene last year, he knew there was a big gap even to the second best performance of 7:23.09, set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
But on this day Ingebrigtsen became a history man, moving clear of the field over the final lap after passing the bell with the green wavelight world record indicators scattering behind him as if they had fallen out of his pockets.
By the time the Norwegian hit the finishing straight he was, astonishingly, 10 metres clear of the snaking green lights and he put his hands to his head after crossing the line.
“It feels special, amazing,” said Ingebrigtsen. “I was hoping to challenge the world record here, but based on my training, I can never predict exactly what kind of time I am capable of. I would not have imagined I could run 7:17, though.
“At the beginning the pace felt really fast, but then I started to feel my way into the race and found a good rhythm. The 3000m is a tough distance. After 4-5 laps you feel the lactic acid, but you need to get going.
“The conditions were difficult with the heat today, but it is the same for everyone. I have a good team. We use ice vests, we make sure I stay hydrated and I am prepared.
“Now I want to challenge world records at all distances – but it is one step at a time.”
Etihopia’s Berihu Aregawi, the Olympic 10,000m silver medallist, produced the third best performance of all time as he crossed second in 7:21.28.
Duplantis proceeded in classic fashion in the pole vault, winning the competition with his third vault, at 6.00m, and then moving straight on to the world record height, which he cleared, amid a tumult of excitement, at his second event.
Joy was unbounded in this competition, as respective Olympic silver and bronze medallists, Sam Kendricks of the United States and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece had both cleared 6.00m – a season’s best for the first and a national record for the latter.
On a normal day the most outstanding performance of the day would have been that of Arop as he finished comfortably clear of Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
The 20-year-old, who had moved to joint second on the all-time list three days earlier when clocking 1:41.11 at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting, was second behind Arop here in 1:43.23 from Bryce Hoppel of the United States, who clocked 1:43.32.
Arop was just shy of the1:41.20 he clocked in taking Olympic silver earlier this month, a performance that placed him fourth on world all-time list.
“Finally, I get the win,” Arop said. “I think this is my first win over Wanyonyi since last year at the World Champs, so it was a good race today. The world record, it is definitely going to go. I think in Brussels.”
Tamberi, whose performance in Paris was affected by kidney problems requiring last-minute hospital visits, secured an unlikely high jump victory here with a best of 2.31m.
Where there is Tamberi, there is drama. The 32-year-old Italian confessed on the eve of this meeting that he had no idea how he would fare.
He faced a potential exit at 2.18m before clearing at his third attempt, then went over 2.26m with his second effort. The game appeared to be up when he passed after one failure at 2.29m – a height that had been cleared first-time by Jamaica’s Jermaine Beckford, in what was a personal best, and second-time by Ukraine’s Oleh Doroshchuk.
But while the latter pair could go no further, Tamberi – lifted by the huge support – cleared 2.31m at the second attempt. New Zealand’s Olympic high jump champion Hamish Kerr went out at 2.22m.
Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo came under heavy pressure in the 200m before asserting himself over the final 20 metres to clock a meeting record of 19.83, with Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic second in a national record of 19.86 and Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek of the United States third in 20.00.
Marileidy Paulino, the Dominican Republic’s Olympic 400m champion, bettered the meeting record with 48.66 to win from Bahrain’s Olympic silver medallist Salwa Eid Naser, who clocked 49.23.
Olympic bronze medallist Kaczmarek came home third in 49.95, with Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke fourth in 50.00 – thus replicating the order of the Olympic final.
Femke Bol of the Netherlands won the 400m hurdles in a meeting record of 52.13, with Anna Cockrell of the United States, who beat her to Olympic silver in Paris, second in 52.88.
“The Olympics were tough, of course,” said Bol. “I would have liked to run a 51 today, but it is a win and a meeting record, so I have to be happy with the race.”
Diribe Welteji won the women’s 1500m in 3:57.08 ahead of compatriot Freweyni Hailu, who clocked 3:57.88, with Britain’s Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Bell third in 3:58.11.
Ackera Nugent of Jamaica set successive meeting records of 12.30 and 12.29 in the heats and final of the 100m hurdles. Grace Stark of the United States was second in 12.37, Jamaica’s double world champion Danielle Williams third in 12.38 and Masai Russell of the United States, the Olympic champion, fourth in 12.40.
Norway’s world 400m hurdles champion and record-holder Karsten Warholm, who took Olympic silver in Paris, clearly enjoyed getting back into winning mode as he finished well clear in a meeting record of 46.95.
Joe Kovacs of the United States, who took silver in Paris as his compatriot Ryan Crouser claimed a record third title, reversed that result with a best of 22.14m, although the Olympic champion came within two centimetres of that with the next throw, with Italy’s European champion Leonardo Fabbri taking third place on 22.03m.
Morocco’s Olympic steeplechase champion Soufiane El Bakkali won in a season’s best of 8:04.29, although he almost lost as he slowed at the line as two of his challengers pressed, with Amos Serum taking second place in the same time and Samuel Firewu third in a personal best of 8:04.34.
Jamaica’s Olympic silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts won the women’s triple jump with 14.50m, from Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez on 14.42m and Dariya Derkach of Italy on 14.02m.
The women’s javelin went to double European silver medallist Adriana Vilagos in a Serbian record of 65.60m, with Jo-Ane Van Dyk of South Africa second on 62.81m.
Tia Clayton of Jamaica won the women’s 100m in 10.83, from the Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta-Lou Smith, who had the same time.
Three days after losing his first post-Olympic race to Rasheed Broadbell, Olympic champion Grant Holloway had his revenge, but only just, as he crossed in 13.04 with the fast-finishing Jamaican taking second place by 0.01 in a non-scoring event on the programme.
Jamaica’s Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson did not start a men’s 100m final won by Olympic bronze medallist Fred Kerley of the United States in 9.87, equalling the meeting record.
In other non-Diamond League events, Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir set a world lead and meeting record of 2:31.24 in the women’s 1000m, Canada’s Olympic hammer champion Ethan Katzberg beat a field including Poland’s five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek and 2021 Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki with a best of 80.03m, while the women’s hammer was won with 76.19m by 2022 world champion Brooke Andersen of the United States.
On a hot Sunday in Chorzów, Poland, Jakob Ingebrigtsen made an attempt at Daniel Komen’s 3,000 meter world record of 7:20.67 and did what he does best, dashing it.
With impeccable pacing and an effortless close, Ingebrigtsen not only broke the record but cleared the record by over three seconds, running 7:17.55.
Though the Norwegian had already made a case as one of his generation’s most dominant middle- and long-distance runners, smashing the “Komen record” continued a legacy building that feels certain to prolong.
It does a lot to alleviate the sting of his recent fourth-place defeat in the 1,500m at the Paris Olympics.
Though the 3K was the highlight of the night, the Silesia Diamond League — and, officially, the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial meet — was packed with performances and featured big names from the Olympics.
A few excellent races went off before the television broadcast window began. There was the men’s 100m, the men’s 400m hurdles and a world record attempt in the women’s 1,000m.
The world record in the women’s 1,000m was 2:28.98. That was the pace that the Wavelights were set to. The field, comprised mainly of 800m runners looking to run an over-distance PR, had pacers through 58.5, 1:58, and 1:28.
Nobody was able to keep the pace for the last 200m. Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir prevailed in a meeting-record 2:31.24. Behind her were Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie and Kenya’s Mary Moraa.
American Nia Akins, who recently ran an 800m in Lausanne, finished at the back.
Kishaun Thompson failed to start the 100m and Fred Kerley won in a tight 9.87 over Ferdinand Omanyala’s 9.88. Ackeem Blake (9.89) and Marcell Jacobs (9.93) also broke 10 seconds.
It is almost inconceivable that the men’s 400m hurdles, featuring world record-holder and Olympic silver medalist Karsten Warholm, occurred before the broadcast window.
Warholm won in a speedy 46.95, slightly faster than his Olympic silver performance of 47.06. France’s Clement Ducos, who competes collegiately for Tennessee, finished behind him with a PR of 47.42.
Ducos has attracted criticism this year because he has a tendency to hook hurdles on the turn with his trail leg — meaning he doesn’t have to jump as high to clear the hurdles. This tendency was showcased once again in Silesia, as Ducos clearly hooked one hurdle but was not disqualified.
The women’s 400m, which featured most of the field from the final in Paris, did not change the narrative at all. Mariledy Paulino proved that she’s the best in the world with a time of 48.66. Salwa Eid Naser clinched second-best with a 49.23. The Polish standout Natalia Kaczmarek ran a measured race and a quick final 100m to eke out third.
In the men’s 200m, it was Letsile Tebogo against the world. His 19.83 didn’t seem to be particularly strained.
Alexander Ogando set a new national record for the Dominican Republic with a time of 19.86, while Americans Kenny Bednarek, Erriyon Knighton and Kyree King filled the next three places in times 20.00 and over.
Bednarek faded badly in the final meters, while King had an outstanding opening 20 meters. Knighton, meanwile, continued a string of elite performances.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
Kenneth Rooks’ sub-8 American record attempt was not meant to be as he was dropped early and finished way back in 8:35.19.
The field was fractured by 2K even as the world leading mark of 8:01.63 and meeting record mark of 8:03.16 slipped away.
Olympic gold medalist Soufiane El Bakkali was considered the favorite here and he won after a bizarre final lap in which there were multiple lead changes.
His slowdown just before the line meant a virtual tie with Kenya’s Amos Serem.
World Record Missed in Men’s 800m
Marco Arop made up for his mistakes in the Diamond League Lausanne meeting three days prior and ran the minimum distance in a true world record attempt.
He blew apart the field with an opening 400 meters of 49.7, went 1:15.6 through 600m and closed in 26.2 to finish in 1:41.86, about one second off the world record.
In comparison — according to SpeedEndurance.com — David Rudisha ran 49.28 and 1:14.3 in his world record race in 2012. Rudisha closed in 26.6, meaning that Arop closed faster. But the crucial middle 400m proved to be a bit slow.
In this race, Olympic gold medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi was expected to break the world record, having run 1:41.11 in Lausanne, but he finished a distant second, almost getting cut down by a hard-closing Bryce Hoppel, who finished in 1:43.32.
Mondo Duplantis Raises the Bar Again, Elevating World Record to 6.26m
Though Mondo Duplantis’ one-centimeter-at-a-time world record improvement shtick has an accountant’s appeal, he once again captivated the crowd and dominated the field.
He reached 6.26m on his second attempt at the height.
Behind him, Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis hit 6.00m for the first time ever while Sam Kendricks vaulted the same for the first time this season.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen Destroys Daniel Komen’s 3000m World Record
In the preview for the men’s 3,000m race, there was no doubt that it was Ingebrigtsen’s race to lose.
Behind him, the projection was that it would be an Ethiopian pack led by Yomif Kejelcha, Grant Fisher, maybe Ronald Kwemoi, maybe Mo Ahmed, maybe George Mills.
The pacers Pietr Sisk and Vincent Ciattei brought the field through 2K in a brilliant 2:27.5 and 4:55.
With 1K to go, though, the speculation as to who might challenge Ingebrigtsen, who was coming off a 1,500m win in Lausanne on Thursday, proved to be pointless.
It was just Ingebrigtsen with Berihu Aregawei hanging on by a thread.
Of all the superlatives attributed to Ingebrigtsen’s performance in this race, his last 600m is deserving of the highest praise. He closed in 28.7, 28.4, 27.0 to slam the door on Aregawi (29.2, 28.5, 29.2) and obliterate the world record.
What underscores his sheer dominance here is that, after Aregawi’s heroic 7:21.28, nobody was even close. Yomif Kejelcha, who finished just behind Ingebrigtsen when he set his previous PR in the distance, was third in 7:28.44.
Ronald Kwemoi, who won silver behind Ingebritsen in the Olympic 5k, closed well for a 7:31, but that was practically 15 seconds back! Mo Ahmed ran a big PR behind Kwemoi. Grant Fisher finished in last. George Mills didn’t show up to run.
The weather for the late afternoon meet was reportedly sweltering, and Jakob only had a few days to recover from an impressive front-run 1,500m in Lausanne. There were valid excuses on the day, but they’ll be employed by Ingebrigtsen’s competitors, who likely will recognize him as the best 3000m runner to have ever lived.
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