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Jakob Ingebrigtsen runs five-minute beer mile at bachelor party

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen has had a season to remember on the track. The 23-year-old has set world records over 2,000m and two miles, but one record he recently attempted and missed was the beer mile world record.

In his hometown of Sandes, Norway, Ingebrigtsen chose to partake in a beer mile as part of his bachelor party. The world record holder over two miles posted a respectable beer mile time of five minutes and 22 seconds, but it was well short of the 4:28 world record held by Canada’s Corey Bellemore.

Although Ingebrigtsen ran the beer mile coming off potential jet lag and two Diamond League titles on the weekend in Eugene, Ore., which included the third-fastest mile time in history—3:43.73, he was short in breaking the five-minute barrier.

Bellemore called out Ingebrigtsen on his Instagram story, challenging him to a head-to-head matchup in the discipline. “I am always game,” posted Bellemore.

According to his brother, Kristoffer’s Strava page, Jakob chose to run the beer mile with his friends and brothers as part of his bachelor party. Ingebrigtsen is planning to marry his longtime partner Elisabeth Asserson later this year in Norway.

The rules of the beer mile are that runners have to complete four laps around a 400m track while consuming a beer before each lap. The beers must have a minimum volume of 340 mL and an alcohol by volume (ABV) content of five per cent or higher. We cannot confirm if Ingebrigtsen abided by the recognized rules of beermile.com and may need to see the footage to ratify his result.

Ingebrigtsen had a nearly perfect 2023 season, setting multiple world and European records in middle distances. He also defended his 5,000m world title at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest but lost his coveted jewel, the men’s 1,500m, for the second consecutive year, placing second to Great Britain’s Josh Kerr.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen marries his longtime partner

Between setting world records, winning Diamond League titles and even taking on beer miles, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway has had a September to remember. On Sept. 23, he added another milestone to his life by marrying his partner of seven years, Elisabeth Asserson, in their native Norway.

Asserson and Ingebrigtsen’s love story began when they were just 16, and Ingebrigtsen popped the question in 2021. Their wedding had an American-style flair, featuring 10 attendants, with Ingebrigtsen’s brothers Henrik, Filip and Kristoffer proudly serving as groomsmen.

The wedding took place at the Bragernes Church in Drammen, Norway, which is quite a distance from Ingebrigtsen’s hometown of Sandnes, which is approximately 400 km away. Asserson had a connection to the church, as one of her grandmothers hailed from Drammen, which is a short distance from Oslo.

The guest list was extensive and reportedly included several of Ingebrigten’s competitors and friends. However, one notable absence was his former coach and father, Gjert Ingebrigtsen.

According to the Norwegian magazine Se og Hør, Gjert was not in attendance and posted a cryptic photo on his Instagram on the wedding day, bearing the message: “You must not endure so much the injustice that does not befall yourself.”

As Ingebrigtsen takes a break from training, the newly married couple plans to celebrate with a honeymoon in the Maldives. Whether Ingebrigtsen will incorporate sand sprints and swim training into his honeymoon activities remains to be seen.

Yared Nuguse Shatters American Mile Record At Prefontaine Classic

Yared Nuguse shattered the American record in the Bowerman Mile, finishing second to Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen in 3:43.97 at the Prefontaine Classic.EUGENE -- Yared Nuguse shattered the American record in the Bowerman Mile, finishing second to Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen in 3:43.97 at the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field.

Nuguse lowered the previous American mark of 3:46.91 set by Alan Webb in Belgium in 2007. His time now ranks fourth on the all-time world list.

“I feel like a 3:44, 45 felt reasonable, but 43 is the same second as the world record which is absolutely insane that we were able to do that today, but still (have) a great race,” Nuguse said.

Ingebrigtsen won the race in the third-fastest time in history 3:43.73, establishing new Diamond League, Pre Classic and European records while pulling the entire field to extraordinary performances. Everyone in the race clocked sub-3:54 and established either a new season best or personal best. There were also there national record and world U20 mark established.“I think he pushes all of us to be better, and that’s really huge," Nuguse said of Ingebrigtsen. "To have someone like this at the time same time that I’ve come to my peak is just really big, to make me catch things that I didn’t think were possible, like running 3:43.”

As expected, from the early going, this shaped up to be a two-man race between Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse. In the pre-meet press conference Nuguse stated that he wanted the American record. Ingebrigtsen playful told Nuguse to hang with him as long as he could and he just might get it.

And he was right.

Pacer extraordinaire Eric Sowinski kept the two runners on world-record pace, taking them through 800m in 1:51.67. When he stepped off slightly before 1200m, Ingebrigtsen had covered the next quarter in 56.06 with Nuguse right on his heels. The duo hit the bell in 2:47 and the race against the clock and each other was very much on.

“He does a very good race," Ingebrigtsen said of Nuguse. "Obviously he’s in a good enough shape to run what he does, but at the same time today I wanted to race where I could challenge myself to really set out at a decent pace, somewhat conservative, and then I go as hard as I could the last two laps to try to run as fast as I could. So it was very good.”As the two hit the back straight, it was apparent from the green LED pacing lights on the rail that they had fallen about two strides behind world-record pace but the intrigue was far from over. 

They remained tight rounding the next to last curve when Ingebrigtsen turned the screw with 150 to go and began to open slight daylight. Nuguse covered the move and pulled right back onto the heels of the leader.

Coming down the stretch, Nuguse grimaced as he tried to keep up with Ingebrigtsen, moving wide to lane two to try and get passed but he was unable to close the gap.

“This is gonna be my last chance for a while to beat him, I might as well just pour my whole heart into it," Nuguse said of his mindset late in the race. "It was the perfect race because I just felt very unbothered the entire time, so it was all just really gritting it out and seeing who could run faster. But you know, definitely tough competitor but still felt really good about it.”

Nuguse credited the passionate crowd at Hayward Field -- there were 12,634 ticketed spectators in attendance -- with providing him with the home-cooking spark he needed late in the race.

"“Definitely that third lap, I feel like having that crowd just going nuts was really huge," he said. "I could just feel they’re all cheering for me for once, when I feel like in Europe they’re mostly cheering for him. It was still just a really amazing crowd, I always love hearing a big roar, especially here in Eugene.”While Nuguse can kick back into the offseason and start recharging for the Olympic year -- he said, his plans are to “just have a ton of fun tonight, not think about running for a month” -- Ingebrigtsen has one more race to go in his season, and on a tight turnaround. The 5000m world champion is favored in tomorrow's men's 3000m.

"Obviously I was here to run the mile," Ingebrigtsen said of his focus. "I’m jumping in the 3k because I got the opportunity. But now it’s all about getting back home to the hotel, eat, sleep, try to prepare as good as I can and we’ll see tomorrow.”

After the meet ends, is  Ingebrigtsen's year done?

"Not quite," he said. "Hopefully getting married next weekend, so I think I have to prepare for that as well.”

Reynold Cheruiyot eyeing more glory at Prefontaine Classic after estelar ML performance in Brussels

World Under-20 1,500m champion Reynold Cheruiyot is not resting on his laurels as he eyes more success at the final Diamond League Meeting, Prefontaine Classic, scheduled for September 16 and 17.

Cheruiyot was in action during Friday night’s Diamond League Meeting in Brussels, Belgium and he managed to finish second in the men’s 2,000m.

The 19-year-old clocked a Personal Best and national record time of 4:48.14 as Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke the world record, clocking 4:43.13 to cross the line.

After his victory in Brussels, Cheruiyot wants to extend the hot streak to his final race of the season in Eugene, USA.

In a post-race interview, he said: “It was a tough race and I tried to follow the best. The race was not ideal for me but I was still able to follow and to run a personal record."

"The stadium was very good, the crowd was loud so that really helped. I only have one race left, the final in Eugene. I'm already looking forward to it and hope to run close to this time again.”

The youngster has had an amazing season thus far, making his debut in the senior category at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where he reached the final of the event.

He has also competed with the seniors in a couple of races including the Kip Keino Classic where he won and the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix where he finished second behind Timothy Cheruiyot.

Ingebrigtsen gains gold – and redemption – with 5000m title in Budapest

A gold medal in hand is worth a lot to Jakob Ingebrigtsen who secured a fitting end to his World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 campaign with a successive defense of his 5000m title on the final day of competition.

The 22-year-old was left heartbroken after the 1500m, in which he was beaten by Great Britian’s Josh Kerr. But the Norwegian picked himself up to advance through his 5000m heat – his first race of the year at that distance – and book his place in the final.

With four of the eight fastest men in history as part of the line-up – six of whom had broken 12:45 this year – it was an open and highly competitive field.

But Ingebrigtsen’s race plan was simple: conserve his energy until the final lap and then make a dash for the finish line.

When the gun went off, Canada’s Olympic silver medalist Mohammed Ahmed took the lead, setting the pace on the first two laps while the defending champion started out in the middle of the pack.

World U20 cross-country champion Ishmael Kipkurui soon grew impatient with the pace and sped past his rivals, quickly opening up 40-meter lead, which he maintained for the next few laps.

Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo, the bronze medalist last year, made his way to the front of the chase pack, trying to bridge the gap to the young Kenyan. Ingebrigtsen, meanwhile, was near the back, showing no interest in making a move.

World leader Berihu Aregawi and his fellow Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet, a two-time world medalist, took over at the lead, while the third Ethiopian in the line-up, two-time world indoor champion Yomif Kejelch, also moved towards the front. Guatemala’s Luis Grijalva also tried to tuck himself into the race, but the Ethiopians were reluctant to let him play much of a part.

With about one lap to go, European record-holder Mohamed Katir overtook the Ethiopians, who were unable to respond to the Spaniard’s speed. Ingebrigtsen also launched out, moving on to Katir’s shoulder as the bell sounded.

The pair tore away from the rest of the field with the Spaniard leading, but the determined Norwegian out-kicked him just before the line to claim back-to-back golds in the event, crossing the line in a season’s best of 13:11.30.

It was also an evening of redemption to for Katir, who failed to qualify for the 1500m final earlier in the championships, having earned bronze at the distance in Oregon. He was glad to make amends in the 5000m, crossing the line in 13:11.44 for silver.

Kenya’s Jacob Krop, the silver medalist in Oregon, came through for bronze in 13:12.28 ahead of Grijalva who settled for fourth (13:12.50) for the second successive championships. Ethiopia’s Kejelcha (13:12.51) and Gebrhiwet (13:12.65) placed fifth and sixth respectively, and Aregawi eighth, his third World Championships final without a medal.

“To win another world title is great of course, but I was very tired,” said Ingebrigtsen. “I tried to save my energy to win at the end because that was the only way tonight. I knew that if my tactics were better than my competitors, I would have a chance to win. And that's what happened. It worked out absolutely perfectly. It was a very hard run, especially in the last 40-50 meters. It was great racing.

“This title means a lot to me after losing again in the 1500m. I haven't been at my best but I had the motivation and I had great support.

“My body is just getting over a virus so it's not been a very good situation to be in. At the same time, I wanted to do my best, I had to try. I had to be very patient but I really did not know what to expect from this race. This week was a bit bittersweet overall, but this is a good way to end.”

Katir was frustrated to miss out on gold but still content with silver, earning Spain’s only in-stadium medal of the championships.

“I gave it all that I had today,” he said. “But Jakob is Jakob – he is the best in the world nowadays. In the 1500m I could not get him, but in the 5000m I was really close to beating him. Every year, I am getting closer and closer.

Krop was delighted to make it on to another global podium.

“I am still only 22 so to get two medals from the World Championships is a big honor,” he said. “I don’t think this bronze after the silver in Eugene is a step down; I am still among the top runners over 5000m.”

4 Stunning Moments at the World Track and Field Championships

Here are the top moments at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, and what to watch for this weekendThere’s just three action-packed days of track and field remaining in Budapest, Hungary for the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Whether you’ve spent the past six days glued to your streaming service or you’re just catching up, here’s a refresher on the top highlights so far, and what we’re looking forward to most this weekend.Sha’Carri Richardson proved that she is here to stay by winning the 100-meter final with a new championship record of 10.65. To do it, she had to take down her Jamaican rivals Shericka Jackson, the fastest woman in the world this year, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the reigning LLP world champion and 15-time world medalist.

After a poor showing in her semifinal, Richardson failed to achieve one of the auto-qualifiers and was placed in lane nine for the final. None of that mattered on race day, though, as the 23-year-old showcased the best acceleration over the final 30 meters of any runner in the field to claim gold from the outside lane. Jackson took silver in 10.72, while Fraser-Pryce ran a season’s best of 10.77 for bronze.

The victory marks Richardson’s first appearance at a global championship. She won the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021, but was unable to compete in the Olympic Games in Tokyo after testing positive for marijuana, a banned substance. In 2023, Richardson said, she’s “not back, [she’s] better.”

Can magic strike twice, and can she earn another medal in the 200 meters? She’ll again face Jackson, the second-fastest woman in world history, as well as American Gabby Thomas, the bronze medalist in Tokyo and the fastest woman in the world this year.

The women’s 200-meter final is on August 25. On Saturday, August 26, Richardson and Thomas will team up to compete against Jackson and Fraser-Pryce in the 4×100-meter relay.The flamboyant American Noah Lyles has made clear his ultimate goal of breaking Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19 in the 200 meters for nearly a year now, ever since breaking the American record, en route to his second world title last summer in Eugene. But to get there, coach Lance Brauman reveals in NBC docuseries “Untitled: The Noah Lyles Project,” the 200-meter specialist would need to improve his speed by focusing on the 100m.

Despite never making a U.S. team in the 100 meters before, Lyles muscled his way onto the podium at the USATF Track and Field Championships a week after getting COVID, and executed his race plan perfectly in Budapest to claim gold with a world-leading time of 9.83. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana set a national record of 9.88 to earn silver and become the first African to podium at a world championship, while Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain took home his first bronze medal.

“They said I wasn’t the one,” he said immediately after the race, in what is sure to be one of this world championship’s most memorable moments. “But I thank God that I am.”

Now his attention turns to a third world title in the 200 meter—and a potential world record. Only Bolt has won three straight world titles over 200 meters, and the Jamaican world record holder is also the last man to win the 100-meter/200-meter double back in 2015.

In a bizarre turn of events on Thursday, a golf cart transporting athletes including Lyles to the track for the 200-meter semi-finals collided with another cart. Several athletes had to be seen by a doctor before the race, and Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson was automatically advanced to the final after competing with shards of glass in his eye. Lyles was reportedly fine.

Tebogo and Hughes will be back for the 200-meter final, as well as Kenneth Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, who completed the USA sweep with Lyles last year, and Tokyo Olympic champion Andre de Grasse of Canada.

The 200-meter finals are on Friday, and the 4 x 100-meter final is on Saturday.For the second year in a row, the best middle-distance runner in the world was outkicked in the world championship 1,500-meter final by a British athlete. This time, it was Josh Kerr who delivered the kick that broke Jakob Ingebrigtsen, winning his first world title in 3:29.38.

For the fiercely competitive Ingebrigtsen, the second-fastest man in world history in the event, silver is hardly any consolation for losing. Yet he nearly lost that as well — his Norwegian countryman Narve Gilje Nordås (who is coached by Jakob’s father Gjert) nearly beat him to the line, with Ingebrigtsen finishing slightly ahead, 3:29.65 to 3:29.68.Kerr, the Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo, seemed to employ a similar tactic as last year’s upset winner Jake Weightman, who similarly sat and kicked with about 180 meters to go. Kerr and Weightman actually trained together as youth rivals at Scotland’s Edinburgh Athletic Club. Kerr now trains in the United States with the Brooks Beasts.

Ingebrigtsen revealed after the race that he had a slight fever and some throat dryness. He competed in the preliminary round of the 5,000 meters on Thursday, advancing to the final with the third-fastest time of the day. He is the reigning world champion and will race the final on Sunday.

While the path to victory looks difficult, at least one heavy hitter has removed himself from conversation — world record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, who already won the 10K this week, pulled out of the 5K with a foot injury.On the very first day of competition in Budapest, the Netherlands track and field federation suffered not one but two devastating falls while running within reach of gold.

Femke Bol was leading the anchor leg of the mixed 4×400-meter relay when she fell just meters from the finish line, leaving the Dutch team disqualified while Team USA captured the gold medal.

On the same night, countrywoman Sifan Hassan stumbled to the ground in the final meters of the 10,000 meters, going from first to 11th, while the Ethiopian trio of Gudaf Tsegay, Letesenbet Gidey and Ejgayehu Taye swept the podium positions.

Hassan was the first to get redemption, earning a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters in 3:56.00 behind only world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya (3:54.87) and Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia (3:55.69). She reportedly did a workout immediately following the race, calling it “not a big deal,” and the next morning won her 5,000-meter prelim in a blistering 14:32.29 over Kipyegon, who also owns the world record over 5K (14:05.20). The two will face off in the final on Saturday.

On Thursday, 23-year-old Bol got her redemption run. With the absence of world record holder Sydney McLaughlin in her signature event of the 400-meter hurdles, the gold was Bol’s for the taking and she left no mercy on the field. She stormed to her first World Championships gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles with a dominant effort of 51.70, with the United States’ Shamier Little nearly a full second behind in 52.80. Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton took bronze in 52.81.

Bol will return to the track for the women’s 4 x 400-meter relay final on Sunday. The Dutch was also disqualified in this event last year at Worlds and will seek to record a result at all expense.

Great Britain’s Josh Kerr wins gold in men’s 1500m at World Athletics Championships

Great Britain’s Josh Kerr won 1500m gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest 

Great Britain’s Joshua Kerr stunned hot favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen to take 1500m gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

The Scot clocked 3:29.38 to win a massive battle with silver medallist Ingebrigtsen over the final 300m as Ingebrigtsen’s fellow Norwegian Narve Gilje Nordas took bronze in 3:29.68.

Kerr’s victory, achieved via his season’s best, saw Britain scoop men’s 1500m gold for the second World Championships running, after Jake Wightman triumphed in Eugene, Oregon last year by finishing ahead of Ingebrigtsen in similar style.

The medal is Kerr’s second on the global stage after he won bronze in the 1500m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – a race won by Ingebrigtsen.

Kerr’s medal is Britain’s fourth of the Budapest event, with Katarina Johnson-Thompson securing heptathlon gold; Lewis Davey, Laviai Nelson, Rio Mitcham and Yemi Mary John claiming silver in the mixed 4x400m relay; and Zharnel Hughes sprinting to bronze in the men’s 100m.

Kerr: I broke Ingebrigtsen with 50m to go

The 25-year-old told the BBC: « It’s been a long time coming. It’s an overwhelming experience, but I’m so proud of myself, of my team and my family.

« I threw my whole 16 years at that last 200m. I stayed calm, I just wanted to execute a race I would be proud of. I’m very glad to add to that medal count.

« I was battling with Jakob very hard, you can see by my face I’m throwing everything at this guy, I was hurting. I’ve wanted this my whole life. I’m so happy.

Kerr beat hot favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway as Britain won the men’s 1500m for the second World Championships running 

« At about 50m to go I kind of broke him, and it was holding on from that point. I’ve had the [Olympic] bronze [at Tokyo 2020] and the gold is much sweeter. »

Wightman: Kerr is like the Terminator

Wightman added: « Our little club in Edinburgh has had two back-to-back world champions. That’s hard to believe. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is going to start hating us Brits ain’t he?

« He showed so much promise for so long, that medal in Tokyo was just the start of this. When Josh Kerr gets it right and when he’s running well, he absolutely flies. I think Ingebrigtsen underestimated how well he was running at the moment.

« I’m so happy for him. Josh is like the Terminator. His internal confidence is crazy. »

Norwegian kid runs ridiculously fast 5K

A 15-minute 5K is considered an exceptional mark in men’s distance running that many sub-elites dream of breaking (and that would include 15 minutes and change). On Aug. 10 at the Recordløpet 5K in Drammen, Norway, 13-year-old Per August Halle Haugen did just that, stopping the clock in 15 minutes and 52 seconds to place second overall.

The achievement stands as a remarkable step forward for Halle Haugen, who, in line with expectations, seems to be flourishing as he gets older, trimming 21 seconds off his previous 5K personal best of 16:13 from 2022.

Last year, Halle Haugen ran the second-fastest time ever for a 12-year-old male for 10K, clocking a mind-blowing best of 33:18 (3:20/km).

According to Norges Friidrettsforbund (Norway’s governing body for athletics), there are no age-specific rewards or competitions for children under the age of 13, so Halle Haugen participates in local road races. 

Halle Haugen is endowed with a strong genetic inclination for distance running: his grandfather, Per Halle Haugen, represented Norway in the sport 40 years ago, achieving a time of 13 minutes and 27 seconds in the 5,000m. His mother and coach, Gunhild Halle Haugen, boasts personal bests of 15:09 for 5,000m and 31:47 for 10,000m. His older brother Simen, born in 1999, ran a time of 13 minutes, 37 seconds for 5,000m last year.

Halle Haugen’s time is still 20 seconds off the U13 age-group 5K world record; nevertheless, he undoubtedly holds a promising future, sharing a trajectory similar to the achievements of his compatriot Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who is widely regarded as the most prolific Norwegian distance runner in history. Ingebrigtsen began competing on the track at age 14 and recorded a 2,000m time of 5:52.50. Halle Haugen’s best over the same distance is 6:02.

World champion Jake Wightman out of defending his title in Budapest next month

After sustaining a freak injury to his foot in January during a gym session in South Africa, Jake Wightman’s recovery has not been straightforward and the 28-year-old says he has “run out of time” and is out for the summer.

This means he will be unable to defend his world 1500m title in Budapest in August just 12 months after claiming gold ahead of Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the World Championships in Eugene.

Wightman sustained the injury to the right foot when landing awkwardly doing plyometrics. He spent five weeks in a protective boot and missed the indoor season, but kept fit cross-training and then eased back into running in the spring.

But further injury-related complications have hindered his progress and he has been forced to withdraw from a number of races in recent weeks. He did not have to battle for World Championships qualification by running the UK Championships in Manchester this weekend because he already has a “wild card” entry to Budapest as a reigning champion.

But nevertheless he feels time has run out for him to get fit for the biggest event of the year and he is now looking at a return to running in late August with his sights set on 2024 instead.

“As a result of my injury, I’ve had to deal with several more set backs as I prepared to race this Summer,” he said on Instagram.

“I’ve always felt as though time has been on my side to overcome my problems fully, however it has finally run out. This means I’m sadly going to be unable to compete at Worlds which has been really gutting to come to terms with.”

Wightman, who was also one of the biggest attractions due to compete at the Diamond League in London on July 23, has had to watch in frustration this season as ten men from eight different countries have run inside 3:30 for 1500m so far this summer, led by Ingebrigtsen’s European record of 3:27.95 at the Bislett Games.

He added: “Although I’m very disappointed not be able to try and defend my title, my focus has to be on getting my body rested and ready for 2024, to ensure I’ll be back performing at my best. The are some risks I could’ve taken to be on that Budapest start line, however the potential to jeopardise my Olympic year makes this the obvious decision.

“I’m currently taking some down time before starting my rehab, ready to be back running safely and pain free by the end of August. Big thanks to all my team and British Athletics who have worked really hard to try and give me every chance of competing. I’ll see you back on the start line soon.”

Why Are Runners Suddenly So Fast?

Records are falling and times are dropping. Is it the shoes, or something else?

Consider the Paris Diamond League meet in early June. Jakob Ingebrigtsen smashed the two-mile world best by more than four seconds, becoming just the second man to run back-to-back sub-four-minute miles. Then Faith Kipyegon notched her second world record in a row, outsprinting the reigning record-holder over 5,000 meters just a week after becoming the first woman under 3:50 in the 1,500 meters. Then, to cap the night, Lamecha Girma took down the steeplechase record.

It was a great night—but it was just one of many great nights that track fans have been treated to recently. A week later, at the historic Bislett Games in Oslo, eight men broke 3:30 for 1,500 meters in one race, setting a new record—including Yared Nuguse, who set a new U.S. best. Meet records fell in almost every event. At the collegiate level, an analysis by Oregon-based coach Peter Thompson shows that the number of middle- and long-distance runners hitting elite benchmark times has doubled, tripled, or in some events even quadrupled in the last two years. Earlier in June, four high-school boys broke four minutes for the mile in a single race, matching the total number of people who’d done it in history prior to 2011.

I could go on.

There are two main questions that arise from this buffet of speed. First, is it real? Are runners getting faster across the board, or are we just being fooled by the brilliance of a few individuals and random fluctuations in the depth of different events? Second, if it’s really happening, then why? The easy answer is, “It’s gotta be the shoes” (or, in this case, the super spikes), but does the data really back that up?

I don’t have any definitive answers at this point, but here are my thoughts on some of the possible explanations.

It’s easy to make an anecdotal case that runners are faster than ever. Backing that up with data isn’t quite as straightforward. If you look only at whether the top-ranked time in the world is getting faster or slower from year to year, any trends will depend on whether you happen to have a generational athlete in the event at a given point in time. The effect of an Usain Bolt is bigger than the effect of, say, a new shoe design. Even if you go deeper, the top ten times in any year often come from just one or two races that took place in exceptionally good conditions. So you’re better off looking farther down the list.

For example, here’s some data for the men’s 1,500 meters between 2009 and 2022, drawn from the World Athletics database. I’ve shown the first, tenth, 100th, and 1,000th ranked performers (not performances) for each year. The horizontal dashed lines show the average for 2009 to 2018. The first super spike prototypes had shown up on the circuit by 2019 at latest, and were widely available by 2021. The big spike of slower times in 2020 is because there were so few races due to the pandemic.

The number-one times don’t show any particular trend. The tenth-best times show a dip since 2021, but no bigger than the dip in 2014-2015 (which corresponded to two particularly fast races in Monaco). For the 100th and 1,000th best times, the pre-pandemic data finally starts to look more consistent, which makes the dip since 2021 more telling. The 1,000th-best performer is now 0.9 percent faster than the pre-pandemic average, and the 100th-best is 0.5 percent faster. This is smaller than the 1.3-percent estimate derived from lab testing of super spikes, but in the ballpark.

Here’s comparable data for the women’s 5,000 meters:

Again, the first- and tenth-ranked times fluctuate too much to draw any conclusions. The 100th and 1,000th places do show an apparent drop in the last few years, by 1.9 and 2.0 percent respectively—more than the lab estimate. There are lots of possible explanations for this discrepancy, including that the benefits of super spikes are reduced at faster speeds.

I’ll add one more graph just for context. Supershoes came to road running way back in 2016 (for prototypes) and became widely available by 2018. I think most observers agree that these shoes really have affected road-running times. So what does the comparable data show for, say, men’s marathon times? Here it is:

The data is confounded by the effects of the pandemic, particularly in 2020. Still, the post-supershoe improvement looks fairly similar to the track data. Compared to the 2009 to 2016 average, last year’s times were 0.7 percent faster at tenth, 1.6 percent faster at 100th, and 1.3 percent faster at 1,000th.

The conclusion I take from all this data? It does like there’s something going on, both on the track and on the roads. But it’s way less obvious in the data than I expected. My subjective feeling was that the last few years have seen records broken and times redefined at a totally unprecedented rate. I thought I’d see robust improvement of at least three or four percent. But that scale of change is not there, at least in the events I sampled.

So with that in mind, what explains the changes we do see?

My starting assumption is that any performance improvements we’ve seen in the last few years are because of the shoes. I’m not going to belabor that point here, because I’ve already written plenty on both road supershoes and super spikes.

But I do want to make one key point. The reason my prime suspect is the shoes is that we have direct laboratory evidence that both types of shoes improve running economy, by around 2 percent on the track and at least 4 percent on the roads (and, to complete the circle, lab evidence that improved running economy directly translates to faster race times). It would take some weird and hitherto undiscovered science in order for the shoes not to make us faster. In contrast, the other hypotheses that I’m going to discuss below may be compelling to various degrees, but all rely on some assumptions and guesses and hand-waving.

Here’s a sentence you wouldn’t have read prior to 2018, from Letsrun’s description of Kipyegon’s thrilling 1,500 world record in Florence: “Kipyegon sprinted away from the pacing lights with 200m to go, lengthening her gap from the green lights as she rounded the turn and entered the home straightaway.” I wrote about World Athletics’s introduction of Wavelight pacing lights when Joshua Cheptegei set the 5,000-meter world record in 2020, positing that more even splits could make a notable difference to times. Good pacing has been a hallmark of this year’s records too, all assisted by Wavelight.

Wavelight doesn’t factor in on the roads, but ever since Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two marathon exhibitions, big-time marathons have devoted more attention to providing top-notch pacers for their elite runners. That has the double benefit of saving the mental effort of setting the pace, and of reducing air resistance. I think good pacing and drafting are both beneficial. But that can’t explain why the 100th and 1,000th performers seem to be getting faster, because Wavelight and paid rabbits are generally reserved for the front of the pack.

Freed from the tyranny of over-frequent racing during lockdowns, runners spent 2020 building up a massive base of endurance that has catapulted them to new levels. It’s even possible that, having learned their lesson, they’ll continue with this more patient approach to training. This theory has the disadvantage of being both unprovable and unfalsifiable. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s untrue, but if performance levels don’t start regressing to their pre-pandemic means over the next few years, I’ll remain skeptical.

It’s the “big, sexy thing” in endurance training these days, as miler Hobbs Kessler put it in a recent interview: lactate-guided double-threshold training, as popularized by Norwegian Olympic champions Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Kristian Blummenfelt. As I explained in this article, the approach emphasizes high volumes of threshold training with very tight control on the intensity to avoid going too hard. Whether it’s objectively better than other training approaches remains to be seen—but it hasn’t yet been adopted widely enough to make a noticeable impact on the top-1,000 list.

In the past, when I’ve looked at broad trends in performance over time, one of the first factors I’ve considered is changes in drug availability or drug testing. It’s extremely noticeable (though of course not proof of anything) that long-distance track times took off like a rocket shortly after the introduction of EPO in the early 1990s. If you look carefully, you can find what seems to be the performance signature of various drug-related events like the introduction of EPO testing and, more recently, the implementation of athlete biological passports.

Is there something new on the scene over the last few years? Or are we still seeing the effects of pandemic-related disruptions in out-of-competition drug testing? I certainly hope it’s not the case, but you’d have to be amnesiac to discount the possibility entirely. Once again, the best counterargument is that the performance improvements are noticeable even at the 1,000th-best level—though perhaps I’m being naive.

As you can probably tell, I don’t think any of the alternative explanations I’ve offered so far hold water compared to my default assumption that it’s the shoes. But this last category is a little different. If you spend enough time arguing with people about why runners are getting faster, you’ll encounter a number of broad, hand-waving theories that are hard to substantiate but nonetheless sound reasonable.

For example, I can attest to the fact that the Internet has made training knowledge far more widely accessible than it was when I was a young athlete in the 1990s. Ideas and approaches (like the Norwegian model) are endlessly debated and dissected, and any student of the sport is exposed to multiple perspectives. (In contrast, when I arrived at university and found that the workouts were different from those I’d done in high school, I thought the world was ending.) This theory has been offered frequently over the last decade or more as an explanation for steadily improving U.S. high school times. Maybe it’s true more broadly: people everywhere simply know more about the principles of training, and are doing it better (or at least fewer people are doing really stupid training) compared to the past. Even if elite coaching was always pretty good, this creates a wider pyramid of prospective talent feeding into the elite coaches.

I also have the sense that the pendulum has swung away from sit-and-kick racing towards aggressive front-running. After the 2019 world championships, where super spikes first made headlines, I wrote an article about the unusually fast early paces of the races. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the current king of the 1,500, is notable for running from the front and pushing the pace rather than relying on a finishing sprint—which likely helps explain why he led those seven other men under 3:30 in Oslo. If runners these days are more focused on running fast times rather than trying to win sprint finishes, it stands to reason that times would get faster overall.

And there are plenty of other theories out there—broader support for professional training groups, better nutrition and recovery, the inevitable march of progress, and some that I’ve undoubtedly missed completely. As I said at the top, I don’t know the answers, and I don’t think anyone else does either. Times do seem to be improving, but not as much as I would have guessed based on all the hype about recent record-breaking. The shoes almost certainly play some role—but if there’s some other secret sauce in there, it’ll be fun trying to figure out what it is.

Ingebrigtsen and Girma go head-to-head in hunt for fast 1500m in Lausanne

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Lamecha Girma both made history earlier this month in Paris, where they set a world two-mile best and a world 3000m steeplechase record, respectively. Now they have the chance to push each other to fast 1500m performances when they return to Wanda Diamond League action in Lausanne on Friday (30).

Norway’s Ingebrigtsen, who broke the world indoor 1500m record by running 3:30.60 in Lievin in February, clocked 7:54.10 in Paris to improve Daniel Komen’s world best for two miles. Despite still having that race in his legs, the 22-year-old improved his own European 1500m record to 3:27.95 in Oslo six days later – a time that places him sixth on the world all-time list.

Although the world record had not been his aim in Oslo, Lausanne’s Athletissima gives Ingebrigtsen another opportunity to take further strides toward Hicham El Guerrouj’s almost 25-year-old world record of 3:26.00.

“I 100% have more left in me,” Ingebrigtsen said after his performance in Oslo. “I just have to keep focused on each race ahead in the build-up to Budapest (World Championships), where it really matters.”

Girma will hope to be up there with him. The Ethiopian 22-year-old stormed to a time of 7:52.11 for his specialism in Paris, taking 1.52 seconds off the world 3000m steeplechase record set by Said Saeed Shaheen in 2004, and then turned his attention to attacking the Ethiopian 1500m record of 3:29.91 at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday (27). He still looked like he had plenty left in the closing stages but having to run wide down the home straight, he focused on the win, running a PB of 3:33.15 that he will aim to improve again in Lausanne.

It will be the first time that Ingebrigtsen and Girma have clashed in any discipline.

In Oslo, Ingebrigtsen led the first eight men under 3:30 for the first time in history, and this time the line-up includes two other men who have dipped under that barrier so far in their careers: Britain’s Olympic bronze medallist Josh Kerr and Australia’s Stewart McSweyn. They are joined on the entry list by Ethiopia’s Teddese Lemi, New Zealand’s Sam Tanner and Britain’s Neil Gourley.

In the 5000m – the discipline in which Ingebrigtsen won world gold last year after his 1500m silver – Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei will take on Olympic 10,000m gold medallist Selemon Barega, world 5km record-holder Berihu Aregawi, Telahun Haile Bekele, Birhanu Balew and their fellow sub-13:00 runner Muktar Edris.

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, world U20 silver medallist Sembo Almayew is back on the track after her world-leading PB performance of 9:00.71 to win in Florence. The 2021 world U20 gold medallist, Jackline Chepkoech, was second on that occasion and is also racing, along with world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech and world bronze medallist Mekides Abebe.

The world leader also heads the entries in the women’s 800m, where world and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson – who improved her British record to 1:55.77 to win in Paris – will look to make another statement as she renews her rivalry with Kenya’s Mary Moraa.

World bronze medallist Moraa, who won Commonwealth Games and Diamond League titles ahead of Hodgkinson last year, has run a best of 1:58.72 so far this season and the strong field also features Habitam Alemu, Noelie Yarigo, Jemma Reekie, Catriona Bisset, Natoya Goule and Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who recently ran a world U20 1000m record of 2:34.89 in Nice.

Is Wavelight technology good for the sport?

Last week at the Paris Diamond League, we witnessed one of the most extraordinary single-day spectacles in the history of the sport. Over the course of two hours, two world records and a world best were shattered; the races were nothing short of spectacular, particularly when Faith Kipyegon skilfully closed the gap on the Wavelight during the final two laps, leaving Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey in the dust and achieving the seemingly impossible: a new women’s 5,000m world record.

The question of whether Wavelights are beneficial for the sport remains subjective, with opinions among track fans varying. On one hand, they enhance the performance and make races more engaging for spectators at the track or watching from home. On the other hand, they provide a precise pacing strategy for elite athletes, potentially facilitating faster times and diminishing the traditional element of intense competition.What is Wavelight technology?

Wavelight technology, named for the Mexican Wave, was introduced by World Athletics in 2019. It serves as a tool for athletes and spectators, offering assistance with pacing and providing a visual representation of the race’s progression. A wave of lights appears along the inside edge of the track, moving at the desired pace for the race. Typically used in distance events like the 800m, 1,500m, or 5,000m, these lights are programmed to signify specific benchmarks, such as world championship standards, meeting records or world record times.Pros

People are drawn to track and field events to witness athletes breaking records, and Wavelight can serve as a valuable tool for athletes to gauge their paces and attempt to break records. A notable example: at the Paris Diamond League on June 9, where Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia ran ahead of the lights to set new records in their respective races. In Girma’s case, the lights pushed and challenged him throughout the 3,000m steeplechase, with Girma narrowly staying ahead in the final 100m to break the previous world record by one second.

Girma’s reliance on the lights became evident as his pace dropped off after 1,000m, and he had to dig deep to maintain the pace set by the flashing lights. Without them, it is unlikely he would have achieved the record.Track and field has faced challenges since the departure of Usain Bolt in 2017, with the sport seeking its next superstar. The success of major events like the World Championships and the Olympic Games significantly increases the sport’s popularity.

World Athletics recognizes the importance of world or national records in the Diamond League circuit, which contribute to increased viewership. The implementation of Wavelight technology allows athletes to run faster and challenge these record times, catering to the audience’s desire for exciting and fast-paced performances.While not every race will produce record-breaking times, Wavelight enhances the potential for thrilling performances that captivate viewers and generate greater interest in the sport.

Cons

When Ingebrigtsen shattered Daniel Komen’s two-mile record, which had stood for 26 years, my immediate thought was how fast Komen could have run with today’s technology. Komen had pacers guide him through the first 2,000m before running the final kilometre alone against the clock. Similarly, Ingebrigtsen had pacers until around the 2,000m mark, but they gradually dropped off, leaving him with a lead of 10-15 metres over the lights.

Depending on the race style or purpose, I believe Wavelight can have a positive impact on the sport. But they also detract from what track and field is fundamentally about—the world’s best athletes competing against one another. Watching a Diamond League event where one athlete outpaces the rest of the field by 15 to 20 seconds in the 3,000m steeplechase does not benefit the sport. While celebrating superstars is important, track and field legends like Komen, Kenenisa Bekele, Genzebe Dibaba and David Rudisha never had events specifically set up for them to chase world records.

They achieved their records in the heat of competition, racing against other competitors. This is where I believe Wavelight technology crosses a line.A compelling comparison was published in Track & Field News in 2020, analyzing the current and former 10,000m world records—Joshua Cheptegei’s record with pace lights versus Bekele’s record without them. The analysis revealed that Cheptegei maintained much more even splits than Bekele, with a variance of less than a second (0.8s) between his kilometres, which is truly remarkable. In contrast, Bekele’s variance was five times greater, with a difference of nearly five seconds between his fastest and slowest kilometres.I am not suggesting that Wavelights are ruining the sport of track and field, but I believe their use should be limited to specific situations, such as aiming for world standards or being present only during the final lap or two of distances ranging from 1,500m to 10,000m.

By implementing such limits, World Athletics can strike a balance between using technology for pacing assistance and preserving the essence of competitive racing.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen to chase his national record at Oslo Diamond League

At the Paris Diamond League last week, the incredible Norwegian athlete and Olympic 1,500m champion  Jakob Ingebrigtsen achieved a remarkable two-mile world best. On Thursday evening (afternoon for viewers in North America), the 22-year-old superstar will be competing in his home country, aiming to challenge his national record of 3:28.32 at the Oslo Diamond League.

Jakob’s WR bid

Ingebrigtsen headlines a deep men’s 1,500m field, featuring the silver and bronze medallists from Tokyo 2020, Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot and Josh Kerr of Great Britain. Other notable athletes are American Yared Nuguse and Mohamed Katir, who came off a Spanish national record performance over 5,000m in Florence two weeks ago, taking the win in 12:50.79. 

During the pre-race press conference, Ingebrigtsen put his confidence on display and said he’s eager to chase a personal best and even take a shot at Hicham El Guerrouj’s 1,500m world record of 3:26.00 “If I break the world record Thursday, I deserve a statue,” said Ingebrigtsen. The Bislett Games meet director responded: “If you do it, I’ll personally set up a statue outside Bislett [Stadium].”

Although there has been a lot of world record talk from Ingebrigtsen and the media, the Wavelight pace in the 1,500m will be set to the meeting record of 3:29.12, going through 800m in 1:52 and the first kilometre in 2:19. Ingebrigtsen will have to close the final 500m in 66 seconds and a sub-53-second final lap if he hopes to take down the world record. 

Canadians in Oslo

Two prominent Canadian athletes are competing at Oslo Diamond League Thursday. Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse looks to get his season back on track in the men’s 200m. The last year hasn’t been easy for De Grasse, changing coaches, battling injury and a slow start to the 2023 season. In his first three 200m race of the season, he has struggled to dip under the world championship standard mark of 20.24 seconds, a time he has frequently sailed under over the last two seasons. In his first Diamond League race in Doha on May 5, his turnover in the final 70 metres wasn’t there, and he faded to sixth in 20.35. It’s been three weeks since his last race, and he will come into Oslo as one of the favourites on paper, having the second-fastest personal best in the field after the young American, Erriyon Knighton.

Canadian mile and 1,500m record holder Gabriela DeBues-Stafford had a successful outing in her Diamond League return in Florence two weeks ago. After a full year off due to injury, the 27-year-old Olympic finalist ran to a season’s best 4:03.64 over 1,500m. She will come into the Oslo Diamond League as the top-ranked woman in the mile event. This race in Oslo should be more tactical and better suited for DeBues-Stafford’s racing style than the 1,500m in Florence, which resulted in a new world record for Faith Kipyegon. 

Two other athletes who will be a tough test for DeBues-Stafford are Jessica Hull, who recently set an Australian record of 3:57.29 in Florence, and Ethiopian rising star Birke Haylom, who ran a giant personal best of 3:57.66 for third place at the Rabat Diamond League. DeBues-Stafford’s mile best is 4:17.87 from Monaco Diamond League in 2019, but any result under 4:23 for her would be a step in the right direction as she continues to prepare for the 2023 World Athletics Championships later this summer. 

Jakob Ingebrigtsen shattered the two mile world record in Paris

Jakob Ingebrigtsen made history on Friday in Paris, running 7:54.10 in the two mile to break Daniel Komen’s mark that had stood since 1997. 

Though the event isn’t frequently run, Komen’s time of 7:58.61 had taken on a mythical quality because of its longevity. 

The distance was a perfect combination for Ingebrigtsen who has global gold medals in the 1500m and 5000m. 

On Friday, the Norwegian was accompanied by two rabbits from the start and quickly separated himself from the rest of the pack. Ingebrigtsen never wavered from the pace, following the pacers through splits of 2:29.07 for 1000m and 4:56.95 for 2000m.

With 400 meters remaining, Ingebrigtsen only needed a 60-second close to get the record. He had much more to give than that, ripping off a 56-second 400m to obliterate the old mark. 

En route, Ingebrigtsen passed 3000m in 7:24.07. That’s the third fastest time in history behind Komen and Hicham El Guerrouj

The race was just the second of Ingebrigtsen’s outdoor campaign. He opened his season with a victory in the Rabat Diamond League in 3:32.59. 

Ingebrigtsen also owns the fastest time in history in the indoor 1500m, a 3:30.60 from Lievin. 

Kipyegon, Girma and Ingebrigtsen make history in Paris

It will go down in history as one of the greatest nights in athletics.

Between them, Faith Kipyegon, Lamecha Girma and Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke two world records* and one world best at the Meeting de Paris on Friday (9), providing the standout moments at a highly memorable Wanda Diamond League meeting in the French capital.

A week after breaking the 1500m world record in Florence, Kipyegon etched her name into the record books for 5000m, winning in 14:05.20.

Ahead of the race, the world and Olympic champion hadn’t made too much noise about a possible world record attempt in tonight’s 5000m. It was, after all, just her third ever race at the distance, and her first 5000m outing in eight years.

But, as is always the case with Kipyegon, the 29-year-old Kenyan showed no fear as she navigated her way through the race, the early pace – 2:52.31 at 1000m and 5:42.04 at 2000m – seemingly no bother for the two-time world U20 cross-country champion.

Steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech was the third and final pacemaker, leading the field through 3000m in 8:31.91. At this point, world record-holder Letesenbet Gidey led from Kipyegon with Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye, the world 5km record-holder, a few strides behind.

Kipyegon took the lead with about 600 metres to go, but Gidey kept close contact. They were about six seconds outside of world record pace, but Gidey also knew what Kipyegon is capable of. The world 10,000m champion knew that Kipyegon had the finishing speed to break Gidey’s world record.

Kipyegon – now speeding up with each and every stride – hit the bell in 13:04.1, needing a final lap of about 62 seconds to break Gidey’s record. She did exactly that, covering the last 400m in 61.1 seconds to cross the line in 14:05.20 – a 1.42-second improvement on Gidey’s mark.

Gidey, competing for the first time since her unfortunate episode at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, finished second in 14:07.94, the third-fastest time in history. Taye was third in 14:13.31, while the next three women – Lilian Kasait Rengerek, Freweyni Hailu and Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi – all finished inside 14:24.

“I didn’t think about the world record, I don’t know how I made it,” said a delighted and surprised Kipyegon. “I just focused on the green light and tried to stay relaxed and enjoy the race. When I saw that it was a world record, I was so surprised – I just wanted to improve on my PB, the world record was not my plan. I just ran after Gidey – she is an amazing lady.

“I do not know what will be next – I’ll have to discuss it with my coach and my management,” she added. “If my body is healthy, anything is possible.”

Girma had requested an ambitious pace for the men’s 3000m steeplechase – one that would result in a finishing time of about 7:52. The world and Olympic silver medallist almost got a bit carried away mid-race, though, and ran well ahead of the wavelights through the middle section of the race.

With two laps to go, the lights almost caught up with the Ethiopian – who by now was well ahead of the rest of the field. But the sound of the bell and the reaction of the crowd seemingly gave him added impetus on the final lap as he moved clear of the lights once more.

He sped around the final lap in about 64 seconds, crossing the line in 7:52.11, taking 1.52 seconds off the world record set 19 years ago by Said Saeed Shaheen.

“I feel so happy,” said Girma, who started his year world a world indoor record over 3000m. “I’m happy and very proud. I felt so fast during the race, so confident. The world record is not a surprise; it was my plan to beat it tonight in Paris. It’s the result of my full determination.”

Two miles not be an official world record distance, but that mattered not to Jakob Ingebrigtsen – or indeed the sell-out crowd at the Stade Charlety – as the Norwegian won the event in a world best of 7:54.10.

The race wasn’t a scoring discipline on this occasion, and as such was held outside of the main broadcast window. But that didn’t deter the world and Olympic champion, who stuck to the pacemakers throughout, passing through 1000m in 2:29.07 and then moving closer to the second pacemaker – and, significantly, ahead of the green wavelights.

Once the pacemakers had done their job, Ingebrigtsen maintained his tempo and breezed through 3000m in an official split of 7:24.00 – a European record and the third-fastest performance of all time for that distance. At this point he had a 13.5-second lead over Ethiopia’s Kuma Girma. Victory was Ingebrigtsen’s; his next target was Daniel Komen’s world best.

He charged through the final 218 metres, roared on by the crowd, and crossed the finish line in 7:54.10, winning by 15 seconds.

“Being able to break this mark feels amazing,” he said. “It is my first world best outdoors. The pace felt very smooth for me, coming out of the 1500m. The public was amazing; without their help, it would have been more difficult. I was a bit surprised by the time in the end.”

World leads for Hodgkinson, Wanyonyi and Holloway

World and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson opened her outdoor season in stunning fashion in the women’s 800m, winning by more than two seconds in a world-leading national record of 1:55.77.

The European champion stuck to the pacemaker and covered the first lap in 57.7 seconds, already a stride or two ahead of the rest of the field. With 200 metres to go, there was clear daylight between Hodgkinson and Jamaica’s Natoya Goule, who was being pursued by world indoor champion Ajee Wilson.

But none of them could get near Hodgkinson, who eased down the home straight to cross the line in 1:55.77, taking 0.11 off the British record she set two years ago in Tokyo. Wilson finished second in 1:58.16 and Goule was third in 1:58.23.

Going for the Two mile world record on June 9th

Jakob Ingebrigtsen doesn’t like talking about world records. But many others in the world of athletics are doing just that as the Norwegian prepares to compete in the non-Olympic distance two-mile event at the 2023 Paris Diamond League on 9 June.

Everything is set up for Ingebrigtsen to attempt to beat Daniel Komen’s time of 7:58.61 - a record that has stood since 1997. Not only will an elite field of pacers set the tempo, but the athletes racing will also have the benefit of Wavelight technology, which uses lights on the inside of the track to show the pace of the world record in real time.

If Ingebrigtsen breaks the record, he will have succeeded where many other of the world’s most celebrated distance runners have failed.

Mo Farah, Eliud Kipchoge and Joshua Cheptegei are just some of the big name athletes to have attempted the distance yet failed to beat Komen’s mark, with the nearest time an 8:01.08 set by the great Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie less than two months before Komen’s historic run.

Abel Kipsang eyes gold at World Championships in Budapest

The 2022 World Indoor Championships 1500m bronze medalist, Abel Kipsang will be targeting gold in his specialty at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. 

"I'm aiming for gold, but if things go wrong, I should be able to finish on the podium in Budapest," said Kipsang in an exclusive interview on Monday.

Kipsang has been honing his skills at the Traffic Police headquarters training ground under the watchful eye of legendary athletics coach Alfred Sang.

The National Police officer will attempt to beat his personal best time of 3:31.65, which he set at the Tokyo Games last year. 

"I also want to beat my previous best time. I've already clocked a 3:29.56 and my new goal is a 3:28.00."

Kipsang expressed his satisfaction with his performance at the weekend's Kip Keino Classic at Moi Stadium in Kasarani. He clocked 3:32.70 minutes to finish second to Reynold Kipkorir, who won in 3:32.01.

"I prepared well for the race, and my body was in top shape. I'm pleased with the time I set at Kasarani. I'm hoping to accomplish a lot more in the coming events," Kipsang remarked.

With his sights set on boarding the Team Kenya jet to Budapest, Kipsang is overjoyed to have already met the qualification standards for the much-anticipated annual global extravaganza, which will be held in August.

"The qualification time set by World Athletics is 3:34.20, and I managed a 3:32.70 at the Kip Keino Classic on Saturday," Kipsang stated.

Despite the stiff competition he is going to face in Budapest from a talented field of rivals, Kipsang says he is not nervous.

"I'm not training with any particular opponent in mind. It's all about getting the greatest time possible to give me an advantage in competition."

He will rely primarily on his extensive knowledge and superior skill to lead him to stardom in Budapest.

Kipsang won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade after finishing fourth in the 1500m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

At the 2019 African Games in Rabat, he competed in his first international competition, finishing fourth in the 800m with a time of 1:45.43 mins.

On June 9, 2021, in Marseille, he ran a personal best of 3:32.6 in the 1500m. He had placed third at the Kenyan Olympic trials 10 days earlier, securing his spot in the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

His score from Marseille put him in the top ten in the world. Kipsang achieved a new Olympic record in the semifinals of the 1500m on August 5, 2021, in Tokyo, clocking 3:31.65, to improve his personal best.

This record was eventually surpassed by Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who ran 3:28.32 in the final, while Kipsang finished fourth in 3:29.56. Timothy Cheruiyot won silver in 3:29.01, while Josh Kerr finished third in 3:29.05.

In 2022, he won a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, clocking a personal best of 3:33.36 and finishing behind Samuel Tefera (3:32.77) and Ingebrigtsen (3:33.02).

Who Would Be the #1 Pick If Running Had a Draft?

Here are the runners you’d want to build a franchise around.

It's NFL draft weekend. A weekend of hope for fans whose favorite teams underperformed last year or lost some key players in trading wars. The Carolina Panthers have the first pick this year, and they desperately need a quarterback to build their team around for the foreseeable future.

On Thursday, they selected former Heisman winner Bryce Young, of Alabama, to fill that role. That got the editors at Runner’s World thinking: who would go first overall in the sport of running? First, we need to set some parameters for our fantasy scenario. All running events contested at the Olympics—from the 100 meters to the marathon—are included. (Field events can have their own draft). And athletes must be currently competing, so no FloJo or Michael Johnson. 

We conducted a quick office poll and consulted our track nerds to come up with a shortlist of three women and three men. Here’s who we’re picking. 

Women

Sifan Hassan

Distance, The NetherlandsIf you watched her storm to a win at last week’s London Marathon, you probably already agree with me—Sifan Hassan has the best range in the world right now. Frankly, it’s not even close. At the 2020 Olympics, the Dutch runner pulled off an insane triple, winning the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and capturing bronze in the 1,500 meters. She had a down year in 2022, missing the podium at the World Championships, but she reasserted herself as a force this year after her comeback win at London. Her only draft stock drawback? At 30 years old, she might not be the best investment for a team looking far down the line.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Hurdles, United StatesThe world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles is a sure-fire pick for a team looking for star power and incredible consistency. She’s a monster talent—making the Olympics at just 16 years old—and since then, now 23, she’s only gotten better. Last year, at the World Championships, she set the world record, beating a loaded field. But McLaughlin-Levrone’s upside is in her versatility: she’s world class in the 110-meter hurdles as well, and was a ringer on Team USA’s gold-medal winning 4x400-meter relay team at the 2020 Olympics. Syd the Kid is a no-brainer for a team that needs a recognizable, long-term talent in the sprints. 

Letesenbet Gidey

Distance, Ethiopia The Ethiopian star’s range is not quite as expansive as Hassan’s, but at 25, she’s already an instant threat in whatever she’s entered in. She’s the current world record holder in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and half marathon—plus, she boasts a marathon PR of 2:16:49. Gidey is a perfect fit for a team looking to sacrifice a bit of experience for one of the top up-sides in distance running. 

Men

Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Distance, NorwayThe mid-distance prodigy hasn’t raced much on the roads, but he’s almost a lock in anything from 1,500 meters to 5,000 meters. He’s starting to run out of accomplishments at only 22 years old: Olympic gold? Check. World record? Check. Ingebrigtsen will do well on a team that needs a vocal leader, and who can back up his talk with his speed. Plus, he’s got swagger, and the entire country of Norway behind him. 

Grant Holloway

Hurdles, United StatesI have a soft spot for consistent hurdlers, I guess. Sure, Holloway finished a disappointing second at the 2020 Olympics, but he won world championships in the 60-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles last year. In fact, Holloway hasn’t lost a 60-meter hurdles race in nine years. And he’s only 25. In college, he also won national championships in the flat 60 meters, 4x100-meter relay, and split 43.7 on the 4x400-meter relay—talk about a utility player. 

Jacob Kiplimo

Distance, Uganda Staying within the theme of impressive range and youth, Jacob Kiplimo is a solid pick for a team that wants to focus on the long distances. Sure, you can go with a proven legend like Kipchoge, or an accomplished marathoner like Evans Chebet, but Kiplimo owns the half marathon world record (57:31) and recently won gold at the World Cross Country Championships earlier this year. He’s less experienced than some of his counterparts (like fellow Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei), but the 22-year-old has an extremely high ceiling and has proven that he’s not afraid to take on the world’s best. 

Australian teen beats Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s U16 1,500m record

At the 2023 Australian Track and Field Championships in Brisbane on the weekend, 16-year-old running phenom Cameron Myers continued his record-setting season with a second-place finish in the senior men’s 1,500m final in 3:38.02, beating Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s U16 world record of 3:39.92 by nearly two seconds.

Myers, who is still in high school, became the second-youngest Australian to reach a podium at the national track championships, winning silver and lowering his Australian U18 record. Myers had a share of the lead alongside Matthew Ramsden into the final 100m, but was overtaken by Callum Davies in a race to the line, winning in 3:37.92. (Davies is seven years older than Myers.)

There have been a few East African athletes who have run faster than 3:38 for 1,500m at 16, but their ages are not verifiable.

This is the second time this season that the young Australian has made headlines. In January, Myers became the second-youngest person to break the four-minute mile barrier, at 16 years and 259 days, setting a new U16 world record of 3:55.44. The only other athlete younger than Myers to go sub-four was the Olympic champion, Ingebrigtsen.

16-year-old phenom Cameron Myers places second in record time at the 2023 Australian Track and Field Championships.

His record-setting 1,500m time is only three and a half seconds off the 2023 World Championship standard of 3:34.20. 

In this 2023 track season, Myers has achieved personal bests in the 1,500m, mile and 3,000m. He is in his final year of high school at Lake Ginnindera College in Canberra, training with Australian distance coach Dick Telford. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Myers does not exceed training volumes of 80 kilometres a week and has a plan appropriate for an athlete of his age. 

Tefera takes down Ingebrigtsen to retain world indoor 1500m title

When the Olympic champion met the world indoor champion, something was always going to give. In the end, as Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Samuel Tefera fought towards the line in the men’s 1500m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 on Sunday (20), it was the Norwegian star who had no choice but to concede. 

Not that Ingebrigtsen ever gave up, the 21-year-old trying to summon something – anything – to repel the late charge of Tefera, but it was no use, with the 22-year-old Ethiopian taking gold in 3:32.77, Ingebrigtsen taking silver in 3:33.02, and Kenya’s Abel Kipsang the bronze in 3:33.36. 

Before the race, the head-to-head record between the big two was 11-0 in favour of Ingebrigtsen, but no one beats Samuel Tefera 12 times in a row, not when this is a distance at which he held the world indoor record at 3:31.04 for the past three years, until Ingebrigtsen broke it earlier this year with 3:30.60. 

That race in Lievin, France, in mid-February made the Norwegian the hot favourite for the title in Belgrade, and when the gun fired he adopted similar tactics to the Olympic final in Tokyo, or indeed most races on the circuit. 

He made sure it was fast. 

With Kipsang rocketing through the opening lap in 27.60, Ingebrigtsen waited until the second to hit the front, stringing the field out behind as he passed 400m in 55.81, 800m in 1:53.9 and 1200m in 2:51.16. 

But tracking him all the way, keeping his powder dry, was Tefera, the slightly more measured pace compared to the race in Lievin allowing him to sit in his slipstream into the final bend. Tefera then moved wide off the turn and emptied the tank to edge past his rival up the home straight, retaining his world indoor title with a championship record of 3:32.77. 

“The race was very tough, but I feel very happy now because I became the champion,” said Tefera, who said he had surgery on his achilles tendon last year, an injury picked up during the Tokyo Olympics. 

“I could not do many activities within the training but now I am completely fit,” he said. “I feel normal and I am ready for any kind of races and championships.”

Ingebrigtsen was gracious in defeat, not that he was too pleased about his silver.

“I came here to fight for the gold and it was a good fight,” he said. “I didn’t feel that great. Usually I feel a bit tired from 600 to 800 then it starts to loosen up but that didn’t happen tonight so I’m not 100 percent. Tefera was better than me tonight. I thought I was better than him, having run the record.”

Asked if he would do anything different if the race was run again, he said: “If I knew that I was completely s*** tonight, then of course I’d do a lot of things different, but I didn’t have any factors telling me that before the race.”

In third, Kipsang claimed the first global medal of his career, having been edged into fourth at the Olympics last year. Ethiopia’s Teddese Lemi finished fourth in 3:33.59, with Australia’s Ollie Hoare fifth and Britain’s Neil Gourley sixth.

The following day, on his return home after not feeling fully fit, Ingebrigtsen shared a photo of a positive Covid test on his social media and wrote: "Just arrived home in Sandnes, and decided to take a health check after a strange feeling last night. Leading up to the race, everything felt normal, with negative PCR test and several rapid tests. Bad timing but in some way unavoidable. Now it's all about recovering and getting back to training."

Simiu aims to come out on top at the global Budapest show

Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist Daniel Simiu -ebenyo reckons he has the mojo to romp to the medal podium at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest Hungary.

 In an exclusive interview on Monday, Simiu, 27, pledged to pulverize the field at Budapest's National Athletics Centre on the banks of the Danube en route to a historic triumph.

The National Police Service officer, however, said he is yet to decide whether he will compete in the 10,000m or the 5,000m race.

"Whatever race I eventually choose, my goal is to win a medal. I'm keen to better my silver-medal achievement at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games," Simiu said. 

Either way, Simiu must prepare to flex muscles with Uganda's track sensation Joshua Cheptegei. 

Cheptegei is the reigning Olympic champion in the 5000m and silver medalist in the 10,000m, a two-time World champion in the 10,000m in 2019 and 2022, a World silver medalist in 2017, and the 2019 World Cross Country winner.

He also won gold medals in the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

"I believe I can upset the form book and defeat him to bring home the gold medal," Simiu remarked.

This will be Simiu's second World Athletics Championship if he is selected for the Kenyan delegation.

Despite finishing second in the 5000m trials in 2019, the Athletes Integrity Unit ruled him ineligible to fly the country's flag at the championships.

 That was after he failed to fulfill the mandatory three out-of-competition tests as prescribed by law. 

Simiu made the squad to Oregon last year, finishing tenth behind Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Kenya's Jacob Krop, and Uganda's Oscar Chelimo.

Simiu described his experience in the World Cross-Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, as a priceless lesson that will propel him to greater success.

"It was a nice experience for me to compete in cross country at the international level for the first time," Simiu said.

"Most of the time I have dropped out of the trials but this time I finally comprised the team. We did admirably well in the face of stiff opposition, and I hope to have the same confidence in Budapest," he explained.

He has promised a masterstroke performance in his subsequent cross-country performances.

"I will be competing in additional world cross-country championships. The competition in Bathurst was a fantastic warm-up for the upcoming track season.

Simiu defeated former World Half Marathon record holder Kibiwott Kandie at the 4th leg of the Athletics Kenya Cross Country Weekend Series in Ol Kalau, Nyandarua County, in November last year.

He finished in 29:29.1 seconds, six seconds ahead of Kandie, who crossed the finish line six seconds later.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen earns his eighth career European championship gold

On Friday afternoon, the reigning Olympic 1,500m champion, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, led from start to finish in the men’s 1,500m at the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, earning his eighth European championship gold medal, breaking the championship record in 3:33.95.

The world’s fastest middle-distance runner beat in-form British athlete Neil Gourley, who came second in 3:34.23, while Azeddine Habz of France claimed the bronze medal in 3:35.39.

Ingebrigtsen, 22, had raced only once this season before competing Friday, missed a month of training with a viral infection.

Gourley, the British indoor 1,500m record holder of 3:32.48, sat on the heels of Ingebrigtsen from the start but could not hold on in the final 200 metres.

Gourley made a move on Ingebrigtsen with 200m to go, similar to the move that his Scottish compatriot Jake Wightman made to beat the Norwegian at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon. Ingebrigtsen countered, soaring to his second-straight European 1,500m gold.

“It’s important for me to compete in as many races as possible for the fans,” Ingebrigtsen told reporters post-race. “My goal is to become the greatest runner of all time, and I still have to win races.”

World indoor 400m record holder Femke Bol was also in action on Friday afternoon in the semi-finals of the women’s 400 metres.

Australian high schooler runs 3:55 mile, beating pros

At the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet of the 2023 season in Melbourne on Thursday, a Grade 11 student from Canberra, Cameron Myers, became the second-youngest person in history to break the four-minute mile barrier, at 16 years and 259 days, setting a new U16 world record of 3:55.44. 

Myers placed third in the men’s mile at the Maurie Plant Classic, behind 2022 Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion Olli Hoare and New Zealand’s Sam Tanner, and beating a lengthy list of pros, including 2016 Olympic 1,500m champion Matt Centrowitz. 

The 16-year-old is the second youngest runner in history to break four minutes in the mile; the youngest was Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Ingebrigtsen first went sub-four at age 16 years and 250 days, when he ran 3:58.04 at the 2017 Prefontaine Classic in Oregon. Myers, who is only nine days older than Ingebrigtsen was then, produced a quicker time than Ingebrigtsen when he first went sub-4.

Myers’s run stripped an incredible 12 seconds off his previous mile personal best of 4:07.04. His time also broke Ingebrigtsen’s U16 world record of 3:56.29 from the 2017 Bislett Games in Oslo.

“At 16, it’s impressive to see Myers running better than most college athletes in the U.S.,” said Hoare to reporters post-race. “He’s an amazing talent for Australia moving forward, and I’m excited for him.”

Hoare won the mile in 3:52.24, coming off a bronze-medal performance in the mixed relay team event at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst last weekend. Hoare’s time was the third-fastest mile time in history by an Australian. 

Two Canadian athletes also competed in Melbourne–John Gay placed 10th in the men’s 3,000m in 8:03.91, while Erin Teschuk was 13th in the women’s 1,500m. Both athletes represented Canada at the 2023 World XC Championships five days ago. 

Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma breaks indoor 3,000m world record

Girma averaged 2:28 per kilometer over 3,000m to break Daniel Komen's world record, which has stood for 25 years.

All eyes at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin, France, were on Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men’s 1,500m, but Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia stole the show in the men’s 3,000m, setting a new world record of 7:23.81.

Girma smashed the 25-year-old indoor 3,000m record of Kenya’s Daniel Komen (7:24.90), which has stood since 1998. Girma’s time was so fast that even his pacemakers couldn’t keep up, dropping out of the race one mile in. World 1,500m bronze medalist Mohamed Katir of Spain held to Girma’s heels until the final lap, falling off for second in a European record of 7:24.68 (now the second fastest time in history).

To put Girma’s time in perspective, his pace over the 3,000m was two minutes and 28 seconds per kilometer and 3:58 per mile. Girma went through 1,500m in 3:42 and through 2,000m in a mind-boggling four minutes and 55 seconds. 

The U.S. 5,000m and 10,000m record holder Grant Fisher finished fifth with a new indoor 3,000m personal best of 7:35.82.

At the 2020 Olympics, Gimra won the silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase with an 8:10.38 clocking, only behind Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali in 8:08.90. He followed his Olympic performance with a 2022 World Indoor Championship silver medal in the 3,000m in Belgrade, Serbia,  and another silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in his signature event, the 3,000m steeplechase.

Ingebrigtsen ended up setting a world lead and meeting record of 3:32.38 in the men’s 1,500m but ultimately missed his indoor world record of 3:30.60 that he aimed for.

Girma is also the Ethiopian national record holder in the 3,000m steeplechase and is listed as the 12th fastest of all time.

2024 Olympic Track & Field Schedule Is Out

On Monday, World Athletics announced the schedule for the 2024 Olympic Games, to be held in Paris on August 1-11, 2024 (only 570 days to go!). There were a few key changes from three years earlier in Tokyo.

First, all track & field finals will be held during the evening sessions (some finals had been held in the morning during the 2016 and 2020 Olympics). The marathons will remain in the morning, though the men’s marathon will no longer be held on the final day of the Games, as had been tradition. That honor for the first time will go to the women’s marathon, which will be held on August 11. Giving women the honor makes sense given that, per Reuters, the “marathon route was modelled on the path of the October 1789 Women’s March on Versailles – when thousands, mainly female market traders furious over the price of bread, marched to the lavish palace of King Louis XVI.” In 2024, the men’s marathon will come on the penultimate day, August 10.

The other major change is the introduction of a repechage round, which will replace time qualifiers in five events: the 200, 400, 800, 1500, and 400 hurdles. Under the new format, any athlete who does not advance automatically from the first round will compete in an extra race –the repechage round — to earn their spot in the semifinals. Qualification from semifinals to the final will remain the same.

While every evening session has at least one final, you may want to circle August 8, 2024, on your calendar right now. That night is set to feature the finals of the women’s 400 hurdles (Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone), men’s 200 (Noah Lyles vs. Erriyon Knighton), and men’s 110 hurdles (Grant Holloway), plus the semis of the women’s 1500 meters.

A number of doubles — 100/200, 800/1500, 1500/5,000, 5,000/10,000 — are very feasible under the current schedule. But what about the 400/400 hurdles, 400/800, and 1500/5,000/10,000 — the doubles (and triple) that would appeal to superstars Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Athing Mu, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen? None of them are impossible.

Possible doubles/triples

Men’s 1500/5,000/10,000 (Jakob Ingebrigtsen)

We’ve got great news for Jakob Ingebrgitsen fans. You’ll likely see him running in two — maybe three — events at Paris.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Ingebrigtsen would have liked to have done the 1500/5000 double like he did at the 2019 and 2022 Worlds but he only ran the 1500 as the two events overlapped a ton. In Tokyo, the 1500 was held on August 3 (a.m.), August 5 (p.m.), and August 7 (p.m.) and the 5000 was held on August 3 (p.m.) and August 6 (p.m). In Paris, 1500/5000 double is eminently more doable as the 1500 finishes before the 5000 even starts.

And there is even more good news. Last year, Ingebrigtsen made headlines by saying he wanted to do what Sifan Hassan did in 2021 and triple at the 2023 Worlds and 2024 Olympics: 1500, 5,000, and 10,000. The triple is basically impossible at the 2023 Worlds. At the 2024 Olympics, it’s tough but doable: it would require two races on August 2 (1500 first round in the morning, 10,000 final 10 hours later), and it would require running the 1500 final at 9:00 p.m. on August 6 and the 5,000 first round 14 hours later on the morning of August 7.

In Tokyo, Hassan had to run two races on the same day (1500 prelims in morning, 5,000 final in evening) and also had to run finals on consecutive days (1500 followed by 10,000). In Paris, Ingebrigtsen would get four days between the 10,000 and 1500 finals and another four days between the 1500 and 5,000 finals.

August 2, 11:05 a.m.: 1500 first round

August 2, 9:20 p.m.: 10,000 final

August 4, 9:10 p.m.: 1500 semis

August 6, 9:00 p.m.: 1500 final

August 7, 11:00 a.m.: 5,000 first round

August 10, 8:00 p.m.: 5,000 final

Women’s 1500/5,000/10,000 (Sifan Hassan)

Given Sifan Hassan already did the 1500/5,000/10,000 triple in Tokyo about as well as anyone could (bronze-gold-gold) and given it took her close to a year to return to racing in 2022, it would be a surprise to see her attempt the triple again in Paris. But if someone else — perhaps World Indoor 1500/World Outdoor 5,000 champ Gudaf Tsegay — is so inclined, it’s possible to triple. The toughest part would be running the 1500 first round the morning after the 5,000 final and running the 10,000 and 1500 final on back-to-back nights (the latter was also the case for Hassan in 2021, though the order of the 10,000 and 1500 finals were flipped). But unlike in 2021, all the races are on different days.

August 2, 6:10 p.m.: 5,000 first round

August 5, 9:20 p.m.: 5,000 final

August 6, 10:05 a.m.: 1500 first round

August 8, 8:05 p.m.: 1500 semis

August 9, 8:55 p.m.: 10,000 final

August 10, 8:25 p.m.: 1500 final

Women’s 400/400 hurdles (Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Femke Bol)

No woman has ever won the 400/400 hurdles double at the Olympics, but superstars Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol could attempt it in Paris. It would require racing six days in a row (seven including the 4×400 relay final) but never more than once in a day. That’s about as good as you can ask for.

August 4, 12:35 p.m.: 400 hurdles first round

August 5, 11:55 a.m.: 400 first round

August 6, 7:45 p.m.: 400 hurdles semis

August 7, 8:45 p.m.: 400 semis

August 8, 9:05 p.m.: 400 hurdles final

August 9, 8:00 p.m.: 400 final

August 10, 9:20 p.m.: 4×400 relay final

Women’s 400/800 (Athing Mu)

Athing Mu won the women’s 800 at the 2020 Olympics and 2022 Worlds and is the NCAA record holder in the 400 meters at 49.57. After winning gold in Tokyo, she said one of her next goals is to double up in the 400/800. The double is possible in Paris but not perfect as it would require her to race three sessions in a row — the night of August 4 in the 800 semis, the morning of August 5 in the 400 first round, and the night of August 5 in the 800 final. The good news is Mu has will have some time to recover as there is a rest day between the 800 final and 400 semis and another rest day between the 400 semis and 400 final.

In a perfect world the 800 semis and 400 first round would both be shifted forward by a day but that’s not going to happen because it would require running the repechage and semifinal round of the 800 on the same day.

August 2, 7:45 p.m.: 800 first round

August 4, 8:35 p.m.: 800 semis

August 5, 11:55 a.m.: 400 first round

August 5, 9:50 p.m.: 800 final

August 7, 8:45 p.m.: 400 semis

August 9, 8:00 p.m.: 400 final

August 10, 9:20 p.m.: 4×400 relay final

Women’s 200/400 (Shaunae Miller-Uibo)

Two-time Olympic 400 champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas attempted the 200/400 double in Tokyo and made the finals of each event. But she wound up going through the motions of the 200 final, finishing last in 24.00 (after running the first round of the 400 that morning), before running a personal best of 48.36 to win the 400 three days later. The 200/400 double is once again possible in 2024, but Miller-Uibo’s weaker event, the 200, would once again come first. It would also require running twice in one day, though neither of the races would be finals (400 first round on the morning of August 5, followed by the 200 semis that evening).

August 4, 10:55 a.m.: 200 first round

August 5, 11:55 a.m.: 400 first round

August 5, 8:55 p.m.: 200 semis

August 6, 9:50 p.m.: 200 final

August 7, 8:45 p.m.: 400 semis

August 9, 8:00 p.m.: 400 final

Men’s 200/400

In Tokyo, it was possible to attempt the men’s 200/400 double as all of the races were on different days (save for the 200 first round and semis — a necessary same-day double for all athletes). In Tokyo, it’s virtually impossible as the 200 semis will be held just 73 minutes before the 400 final on the night of August 7.

August 4, 7:05 p.m.: 400 first round

August 5, 8:05 p.m.: 200 first round

August 6, 8:30 p.m.: 400 semis

August 7, 8:07 p.m.: 200 semis

August 7, 9:20 p.m.: 400 final

August 8, 9:25 p.m.: 200 final

How will the repechage round work?

In almost every case, the repechage round will take place the day after the first round of each event. The only exception is the men’s 110 hurdles, where the first round is on August 4 and the repechage on August 6. And in almost every case, the repechage athletes won’t have to race twice in the same day. The only exception is the women’s 200, where the first round will be held on the morning of August 4, the repechage on the afternoon of August 5, and the semis on the evening of August 5.

Should any repechage athlete in the 800 advance to the final, they will have raced on four consecutive days. For any 1500 athlete to advance to the final, they will have had to have raced three straight days followed by a one-day break before the final. The repechage round is mostly a chance for lesser athletes to get a longer Olympic experience instead of running one race and going home, but it’s not impossible to suggest that a repechage athlete could be a factor in the final. At the 2020 Olympics, Great Britain’s Josh Kerr needed a time qualifier to advance from the first round of the men’s 1500 and wound up earning the bronze medal. Such a feat will be harder in 2024 since an athlete such as Kerr would now have to run an extra race.

Here’s how the schedule works for the men’s and women’s 800 and 1500:

Men’s 800

Prelims: August 7, 11:45 a.m.

Repechage: August 8, 12:00 p.m.

Semis: August 9, 11:30 a.m.

Final: August 10, 7:30 p.m.

Women’s 800

Prelims: August 2, 7:45 p.m.

Repechage: August 3, 11:10 a.m.

Semis: August 4, 8:35 p.m.

Final: August 5, 9:50 p.m.

Women’s 1500

Prelims: August 6, 10:05 a.m.

Repechage: August 7, 12:35 p.m.

Semis: August 8, 8:05 p.m.

Final: August 10, 8:25 p.m.

Men’s 1500

Prelims: August 2, 11:05 a.m.

Repechage: August 3, 8:25 p.m.

Semis: August 4, 9:10 p.m.

Final: August 6, 9:00 p.m.

Ten reasons to be excited for the 2023 Athletics season

There are many things to look forward to in the sport of athletics in the upcoming year.

There’ll be three global championships in 2023, with ever-expanding one-day meeting circuits spread throughout the year. Rivalries will be renewed, and record-breakers will continue to push boundaries in their respective disciplines.

Here are just ten of the many reasons to be excited by what’s to come over the next 12 months.

1. World Athletics Championships Budapest 23

More than 2000 athletes from about 200 countries will head to the Hungarian capital to compete in the world’s biggest track and field event of 2023. Taking place just 13 months after the last edition, it will be the shortest ever gap between two World Championships, so fans won’t have long to wait before seeing the best athletes on the planet re-engage in battle for global honours.

2. Pushing boundaries

World Athletes of the Year Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have elevated their respective events to new heights in recent years.

Both aged just 23, their progression and record-breaking exploits will most likely continue in 2023. The same applies to other dominant forces within the sport, such as world and Olympic triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas and marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.

3. New eras

The sport, as with everything in life, continues to evolve. Kenya, for example, dominated the steeplechase for years, but now the leading forces in that discipline are from Morocco, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan.

The women’s throws, meanwhile, are now the domain of North America. And Japan is a leading force in men’s race walking.

New faces and countries will likely emerge in 2023, changing the landscape of the sport.

4. Sprint showdowns

Gone are the days where the world’s leading sprinters avoid each other on the circuit. Multiple world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, for example, will often line up against fellow Jamaican stars Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson. And 200m specialists Noah Lyles and Erriyon Knighton have clashed frequently in recent years. No doubt there will be many more high-octane sprint duels in store in 2023.

5. World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23

The newest global event within the sport, the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 will unite elite and recreational runners in the Latvian capital on September 30 and October 1. The range of distances — mile, 5km and half marathon — means there’s something for all of the world’s best endurance athletes to sink their teeth into. The same applies to the thousands of runners who’ll take to the streets of Riga for the mass races as they race in the footsteps of legends.

6. Crouser vs Kovacs

They provided one of the greatest duels the sport has ever witnessed at the 2019 World Championships, and there’s no sign of the rivalry ending between Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs. The shot put giants have won numerous global titles between them. Crouser has been a dominant force in recent years, but Kovacs also hit an all-time career peak in 2022 with a lifetime best of 23.23m, taking him to No.2 on the world all-time list behind Crouser. No one would be surprised if either man broke the world record in 2023.

7. At the double

When the timetable for the 2023 World Championships was release a few months ago, it became clear that many popular doubles — such as the 100m and 200m, 800m and 1500m, 1500m and 5000m, 5000m and 10,000m, 20km and 35km race walk, women’s long jump & triple jump, and women’s 200m and 400m – would be doable in Budapest. The likes of Yulimar Rojas, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Fred Kerley and Sydney McLaughlin have all hinted at attempting major championship doubles in recent years, so it will be fascinating to see who enters more than one discipline in the Hungarian capital.

8. Continental Tour Gold expands

The global one-day meeting circuit will have 14 Gold level meetings in 2023, taking in new stops in Botswana, Grenada and Melbourne.

It means there are now Gold meetings in five different continental areas. The wider series has also expanded with 165 Continental Tour meetings currently on the calendar for 2023, 13 more than in 2022.

9. Distance duels

Endurance athletes are extra fortunate in 2023 because they will be able to compete at all three global championships, covering a range of surfaces. Letesenbet Gidey and Hellen Obiri provided one of the most thrilling clashes at the World Championships in Oregon, and there’s a good chance they’ll race one another again, either in Bathurst, Budapest or Riga.

World 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, meanwhile, could potentially line up against two-time world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei in Budapest — or even on the circuit throughout the season.

There are four women active in the marathon — Brigid Kosgei, Ruth Chepngetich, Amane Beriso and Tigist Assefa — with sub-2:16 PBs, all of whom could push one another to a world record. And in the race walks, the likes of Toshikazu Yamanishi and Massimo Stano could clash at either 20km or 35km — or both.

10. World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23

One of the first big highlights of the year will take place Down Under when Bathurst hosts the World Cross Country Championships.

Recent editions have been highly competitive and engaging, and that will no doubt be the case once more as hundreds of the world’s best distance athletes take to Mount Panorama. And, as is the case with Riga and Budapest, there are opportunities for recreational runners to be a part of the event too.

Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye misses 5k world record by 2 seconds as she wins in Barcelona

Ejgayehu Taye came within two seconds of the world 5km record she set two years ago at the Cursa dels Nassos, while Adisu Girma made it an Ethiopian double at the World Athletics Label road event in Barcelona on Saturday (31).

Paced by Latvia's Dmitrijs Serjogins, 22-year-old Ethiopian Taye went through the opening kilometer in a swift 2:49, well on schedule to challenge her own world record of 14:19 she set exactly one year ago at the same venue. By then, Taye had Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen for company as the newly-minted European cross country silver medalist was aiming to break the European record of 14:44.

Taye, the world indoor 3000m bronze medalist, maintained her pace over the second kilometer which was reached in 5:39 and shortly afterwards that cadence proved to be too fast for Klosterhalfen who began to lose ground. Running always at the pacemaker's shoulder, Taye was timed at 7:04 at halfway, well inside the world record pace, and 8:33 at 3km while Klosterhalfen was 10 seconds in arrears by then. Surprisingly, Norway's European cross-country champion Karoline Grovdal was never a factor and passed 3km a further eight seconds behind Klosterhalfen.

Taye, who was fifth over 5000m at the Olympic Games, slowed slightly during the fourth kilometer to clock 11:29 at 4km and then desperately tried to find another gear in the final kilometer to revise her own world record. She crossed the line in 14:21, the second-fastest 5km performance in history and just two seconds off her world record.

Klosterhalfen was a distant second, 31 seconds adrift in 14:52, eight seconds outside the European record but gaining revenge on third placed Groval, timed at 15:06.

“Maybe I went off too fast and I finally could not maintain the required pace to break the record but anyway I'm satisfied as it's a great performance,” said Taye, who has a 5000m track PB of 14:12.98 and who finished sixth over 10,000m at the World Championships in Oregon. “I'll run next in the Valencia 10K in a couple of weeks' time.”

World 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen had been due to compete in the men’s race in what would have been his first race on Spanish soil, but the Olympic 1500m champion was forced to withdraw on the eve of the race due to illness.

In his absence, attention turned to Ethiopia's Adisu Girma, a 3:35.81 1500m specialist, Spain's Abdessamad Oukhelfen, a creditable 10th at the recent European Cross Country Championships, Switzerland’s Jonas Raess, and Spain's 2016 European 5000m champion Ilias Fifa.

The leading group covered the opening two kilometers at 2:40/km pace, but the cadence decreased over the following couple of kilometers and the lead quartet reached 4km in 10:50. Fifa was the first to launch a serious finishing kick some 800 meters from home, but 23-year-old Ethiopian Girma responded with a devastating burst of speed to break away from the Spaniard with ease and cross the finish line in 13:25 to Fifa's 13:30 and Raess's 13:31.

Leading results

Women

1 Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) 14:21

2 Konstanze Klosterhalfen (GER) 14:52

3 Karoline Grovdal (NOR) 15:06

4 Miriam Chebet (KEN) 15:36

5 Agate Caune (LAT) 15:44

Men

1 Adisu Girma (ETH) 13:25

2 Ilias Fifa (ESP) 13:30

3 Jonas Raess (SWI) 13:31

4 Andessadam Oukhelfen (ESP) 13:37

5 Mohamed Al Garni (QAT) 13:41.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen racing the Race of the Cursa dels Nassos

Definitely committed to the end of the year, the Cursa dels Nassos (Barcelona's San Silvestre) aims to get people talking about it almost as much as we talk about the San Silvestre Vallecana (Madrid) or the San Silvestre in São Paulo, which is the most popular in the world.

Definitely committed to the end of the year, the Cursa dels Nassos (Barcelona's San Silvestre) aims to get people talking about it almost as much as we talk about the San Silvestre Vallecana (Madrid) or the San Silvestre in São Paulo, which is the most popular in the world.

So bet big.

And bet on insurance.

Or perhaps Jakob Ingebrigtsen is not a guarantee of quality?

Olympic champion of the 1,500, world champion of the 5,000, multiple European champion of both distances, the Norwegian talent (22) has confirmed his presence in the short distance of the Nassos, the 5K, a race that will be held at 7:00 p.m. on the 31st of December and in which we could witness a European record: Ingebrigtsen will look for the 13m14s of the Italian Yemane Crippa, an objective that is within his reach, since the Norwegian has come to sign 12m48s45 in the 5,000m, record of the track test.

The organizers assure that Jakob Ingebrigtsen will not run alone, but rather escorted by his older brothers, Henrik (31) and Filip (29), European champions of the 1,500 in 2012 and 2016, a magnificent display of Norwegian athletics that includes Karoline Grovdal (32), European cross country gold in the last two editions, including the most recent, just a week and a half ago, in Turin.

Grovdal will run in the same distance, the 5K, where the Ethiopian Ejegayehu Taye (22), world record holder (14m19s from last year right here, in Barcelona), and the sharp German Konstanze Klosterhalfen await her.

The 10K will have been held earlier, starting at 5:15 p.m.

Former Euro XC champ faces three year doping ban for EPO

Olympian and two-time European cross country champ Aras Kaya has been given a three-year ban for doping after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO). EPO is a hormone that promotes red blood cell production, improving endurance.

Kaya, 28, was born in Kenya but competes for Turkey, after moving there in 2015 and receiving citizenship in 2016. He tested positive at the Brasov Running Festival 10K in Brasov, Romania in September, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). Kaya was given a four-year ban but admitted he was at fault and opted not to fight the case, reducing his ban to three years.

In 2021, Kaya took silver at the Euro cross country champs, runner-up to Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and ran to bronze in 2018. He was set to run last weekend’s Euro Cross in Turin, Italy, but was a late withdrawal with his doping ban imminent, Athletics Weekly reported.

Kaya won the 2016 Euro cross country senior men’s title and took second in 2019 to Robel Fsiha of Sweden. Fsiha tested positive for artificial testosterone in 2020 and was banned for four years, elevating Kaya to the gold medal position. Kaya has a half-marathon PB of 60:51 and finished third in the 2022 European 10,000m cup.

In the last year, Kaya was reported to have been in the process of receiving Russian nationalization, as he has been based in the Russian city of Kazan.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen crowned again at European XC champs

Norwegian distance champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen hunted down his second senior crown at the 2022 European Cross Country Championships on Sunday, at La Mandria Park in Turin, Italy. Ingebrigtsen won the senior men’s race (9.572 km) in 29 minutes, 33 seconds. On the women’s side, Karoline Grøvdal, also of Norway, took the win in the senior women’s race (7.662 km) in 26 minutes, 25 seconds.

Men’s race

Ingebrigtsen, who is the Olympic 1,500 meter champion, led a close race before pulling off his traditional finishing kick over the final 700 meters, increasing his lead to almost 60 meters before crossing the line in 29:33, World Athletics reported. Great Britain’s Emile Cairess surged for silver in 29:42, followed by Belgium’s former U23 winner Isaac Kimeli, who ran to bronze in 29:45.

Both Cairess, who has had a remarkable breakout season, and Kimeli worked hard to stay with Ingebrigsten from the 6K mark. While they matched or were close to Ingebrigtsen for much of the race they had no answer to his final surge, midway through the last of six long 1.4 km laps. “I think it was a great race for me, I had a lot of fun,” Ingebrigtsen said afterwards, taking his sixth consecutive individual continental gold medal overall.

Women’s race

Grøvdal, like Ingebrigtsen, was the defending champion for the senior title. The senior women’s race was a thriller, with Grøvdal, 32, and Germany’s European 5,000m champion, Konstanze Klosterhalfen, in a head-to-head battle for most of the race. Grøvdal, 32, was finally able to move away from Klosterhalfen on the final downhill stretch, 200 meters from the finish.

Grøvdal’s leading time of 26:25 over the approx. 7.7 km course set her just ahead of Klosterhalfen, who ran to silver in 26:29, and Germany’s Alina Reh, who finished in 27:19, barely holding off teammate Hanna Klein in a sprint for the bronze medal. Reh also took bronze in 2021, while Klosterhalfen moved up from fifth place last year.

“I was tired going into the last lap, and I felt that in the last few meters, but I knew that going down the hill that I am good at that,” Grøvdal said post-race. “The technical part is good for me, I felt quite strong going up the hills as well, and I think that is the reason I took the gold.” With eight individual medals, Grøvdal has an unsurpassed record by a woman athlete in the history of the European championships.

This year’s course at La Mandria Park included a 50-meter indoor section, running through a carriage pavilion, which is part of the Mandria Castle, a UNESCO Heritage site. La Mandria Park is the largest enclosed park in Europe, and Italy is now the only country to have hosted the European championships four times.

American track superstar Sydney McLaughlin named World Athlete of the Year

U.S. sprinter and hurdler Sydney McLaughlin was named World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics on Monday evening, alongside men’s winner and Swedish pole vault world champion Mondo Duplantis.

McLaughlin, 23, has had not only a stunning year on the track but an already remarkable career in athletics. She is the world 400m hurdles and 4x400m champion. In 2022 she broke the world 400m hurdles record with 51.41 at the U.S. championships, and then broke her own record by almost three-quarters of a second, running 50.68 at the world championships in Oregon to win the world title.

Setting four world records over 13 months, McLaughlin was the first woman to break the 52-second (June 2021) and 51-second (July 2022) barriers in the 400m hurdles.

The award “means absolutely everything,” McLaughlin said at the ceremonies, held at the Prince of Monaco’s palace. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity, first and foremost, all the glory to God. For my team, my coach, my trainers, my husband, my family, everybody,” she added. “It has been an unreal season and I’m really grateful that it has culminated in this to cap it all off.”

McLaughlin, who was born in New Jersey and is married to former NFL player Andre Levrone Jr., called the awards ceremony “an unreal experience that I will never forget.”

The track phenom was the 2015 world youth champion, and in 2016 became the youngest athlete since 1980 to qualify for the U.S. Olympic track team, after running to third place at the U.S. Olympic trials with the current world under-18 best of 54.15 seconds.

McLaughlin beat 100m hurdle world champ Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, Jamaica’s world 100m sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Peru’s Kimberly Garcia (world 20K race walk champion) and Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, world indoor and outdoor triple jump champion, to win the award.

Men’s World Athlete of the Year

On the men’s side, Swedish pole vault world champ Mondo Duplantis was named World Athlete of the Year, after winning the world pole vault indoor and outdoor double in 2022. Duplantis improved his own world record to 6.21m and claimed the Diamond League and European crowns.

Duplantis, 23, also won the award in 2020. “Going into the year, I had really high expectations of myself and I had some really big goals,” said Duplantis. “I wanted to win the world indoors, the world outdoors, the Europeans, the Diamond League final, and I wanted to break the world record a few times,” he added.

“I was able to do that and it was a bonus–the cherry on top–to do be able to do it [break the world record] at the right times, to do it at world indoors and do it at world outdoors. I can’t complain.”

The other finalists for the men’s award were Kenyan world champion marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, American sprinter and world 200m champ Noah Lyles, Morocco’s steeple champ Soufiane El Bakkali and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, world 5,000m champ.

Finalists announced for Men's World Athlete of the Year 2022

The names of the five finalists for Men’s World Athlete of the Year have been confirmed, as the countdown to the World Athletics Awards 2022 continues.

The five athletes, who represent five countries from three area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2022, at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22, one-day meeting circuits and other events around the world.

The finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Mondo Duplantis, SWE- World pole vault champion indoors and outdoors- Diamond League and European pole vault champion- Improved his world record to 6.19m and 6.20m indoors, and then 6.21m outdoors

Soufiane El Bakkali, MAR- World 3000m steeplechase champion- Diamond League 3000m steeplechase champion- Unbeaten in 2022, running a world-leading 7:58.28 in Rabat

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, NOR- World 5000m champion, world 1500m silver medallist indoors and outdoors- European 1500m and 5000m champion- Ran a world indoor 1500m record of 3:30.60 and won the Diamond League title in a world-leading 3:29.02

Eliud Kipchoge, KEN- Improved his world marathon record to 2:01:09- Berlin Marathon champion- Tokyo Marathon champion

Noah Lyles, USA- World 200m champion- Diamond League 200m champion- Ran a world-leading national record of 19.31 to move to third on the world all-time list

Voting procedure for 2022 World Athletes of the Year

A three-way voting process determined the finalists.

The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans logged their decisions online via the World Athletics social media platforms where a record 1.3 million votes were registered.

The World Athletics Council’s vote counted for 50% of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25% of the final result.

Voting closed on 31 October.

The World Athletes of the Year will be announced on World Athletics’ social media platforms in early December, as part of the World Athletics Awards 2022.

12-year-old Norwegian kid runs fast 10K, is this Norwegian kid the next Jakob Ingebrigtsen?

Last weekend at the Hytteplanmila 10K in Hole, Norway, (yes, that’s the name of the town), Per August Halle Haugen ran the second-fastest time ever for a 12-year-old male, clocking a new personal best of 33:18 (3:20/km).

This is the first time Halle Haugen has gone under 34 minutes. His previous best was 34:04 from earlier this year. He has been competing at road races, since there is no age-category prizing or championships for kids his age in Norway.

In Norway, kids aren’t allowed to compete until age 13, so for Halle Haugen to compete, he must do so in public road races like the Hytteplanmila 10K.

The current world record for 12-year-old boys is held by Australian Kobe Stewart with a time of 33:08. Stewart, continues to run similar times today, at age 15, as he did when he set the record in 2020.

Past studies on genetics found that both the scientific and sporting communities recognize that genetic factors undoubtedly contribute to athletic performance. Halle Haugen has serious distance-running genes: his grandfather, Per Halle Haugen, competed for Norway 40 years ago, running 13:27 over 5,000m. His mother and coach, Gunhild Halle Haugen, has PBs of 15:09 for 5,000m and 31:47 for 10K, and his older brother, Simen, born in 1999, ran 13:37 for 5,000m last year.

Sure, Halle Haugen has many years ahead of him, but on his current trajectory, he is following in the footsteps of the greatest Norwegian distance runner in history, Jakob Ingebrigtsen. 

In a feature by World Athletics in 2018, Ingebrigtsen said he’d been training like a professional runner since he was eight. He surprised everyone at age 14 when he set the age-group world record for 1,500m (3:50.57). 

Ingebrigtsen was tagged as a prodigy when he took his first steps in the sport. At 14, he clocked 3:48.37 for 1,500m, at 15 he ran 3:42.44, and at the 2017 Pre Classic in Eugene, Ore., he became the youngest athlete to run a sub-four-minute mile, clocking 3:58.07 at the age of 16. Since then, Ingebrigtsen has become the Olympic 1,500m champion and world champion over 5,000m.

We are bound to hear Halle Haugen’s name again when he begins to tear up the track in Norway when he turns 13 in 2023.

Meanwhile in Canada, 10-year-old running phenom Sawyer Nicholson made headlines after winning the Niagara Falls 5K last weekend in 18:55. Nicholson’s result is only 53 seconds back of the world record for age 10 (18:02). In an interview with Nicholson earlier this year, she spoke about her aspirations and her love for running and soccer. 

Run longer and stronger with tips from trail-phenom Priscilla Forgie

Priscilla Forgie wants you to be more flexible. She doesn’t mean you should hit a yoga class, either–Forgie says adding versatility to her running routine has allowed her to master the art of listening to her body, elevating her performance.

If you aren’t familiar with Forgie after this year’s ultratrail season, consider this your update: the Edmonton-based athlete has had a record-breaking year, winning almost every race she has entered and demolishing course records at the Near Death Marathon (where she also was the overall winner) and Squamish 50/50. She’s also fairly new to the ultratrail scene and is open about the setbacks and learning curves she’s experienced so far.

“When I discovered I had a stress fracture in January I realized I hadn’t truly been listening to what my body needed,”she says. Forgie says that key to optimizing her running this year was taking preventative action to care for her body in her day-to-day life, becoming more flexible with training and mileage. Here’s what Forgie suggests you try, so that you, too, can break personal barriers and crush your goals, all while staying healthy.

Have flexibility in your training plan

Forgie says that opening ourselves up to the possibility of not sticking to a regimented training schedule is key. “I can appreciate that a training plan can help hold us accountable and keep us motivated, but no plan can take into account the complexities of our everyday lives and what our bodies are asking for each day,” she says. While Forgie doesn’t follow a  strict plan, she acknowledges that it works for some people, and suggests that runners try to remain adaptable.

Forgie suggests making the change from a km/day goal, and instead giving yourself a distance or time range to shoot for each day, adjusting throughout the week as needed. “This allows us the opportunity to rest when needed and free up time if life gets in the way,” she says.

Get comfortable with switching things up

Forgie says this is particularly important for your key workouts. “You want your body to be feeling its best during these sessions, so pushing through speedwork after a lousy sleep will not help you reach your goals,” she explains. If you have a challenging workout planned but are feeling under the weather, far better to head out for an easy run or take a recovery day, and do the speedwork when you’re well-rested.

Another form of switching it up that Forgie loves: hit the trails instead of running hill repeats or road-based speedwork. While trails are where Forgie’s passion lies,  they’re a great addition to any runner’s repertoire. “Who doesn’t need more trail time?” she says.

Tap into your inner couch potato

“A huge part of listening to our bodies is recognizing when we need rest,” says Forgie, adding that it’s likely more often than a lot of us allow. She suggests following the 80/20 rule (keeping 80 per cent of your workouts easy, 20 per cent hard). “Letting our bodies recover with good food, sleep, and slow miles will result in our bodies thanking us later,” she says.

With so many athletes reporting stress fractures or being diagnosed with RED-S syndrome, recovery is something every runner should personally focus on.

Try running doubles (but not Ingebrigtsen-style)

Forgie advocates breaking up a long-run session into a double. “Double run days are my favourite,” she says. “Doing this gives your body a bit of a break, frees up some time in your schedule, and definitely helps when you’re really ramping up those kilometres in peak weeks.” Doubling has made headlines recently due to its popularity among elite athletes like Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who will run two hard training sessions in a single day. Forgie’s format is a gentler version, a way to adapt a long workout, or to increase mileage when training for a big race.

Being open to trying new things in your running schedule is a fantastic idea for all of us, and Forgie’s success on the trails demonstrates how well it has been working for her.

Eliud Kipchoge battles nine world champs for Athlete of the Year Award

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will battle nine world champions for the men's 2022 World Athlete of the Year Award. The 37-year-old Kipchoge, who is fresh from breaking his own marathon world record, won the 2018 and 2019 awards but also made the final list for the 2020 and 2021 awards.

The winner of the prestigious award in world athletics will be revealed on World Athletics’ social media platforms in early December.

The announcement on Thursday marked the opening of the voting process for the 2022 World Athletes of the Year ahead of the 2022 World Athletics Awards in December.

Olympics 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm last year became the first Norwegian to win the Male Athlete of the Year Award, beating four other finalists who included Kipchoge and Olympic 5,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda  for the award.

Kipchoge will face world champions Ceh Kristjan (discus) from Slovakia, Brazilian Alison Dos Santos (400m hurdles), the 2020 winner, Swede Mondo Duplantis (pole vault), Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali (3,000m steeplechase) and American Grant Holloway (110m hurdles).

Others are Norwegian Jakob Ingerbrigtsen (5,000m), Noah Lyles (200m) from United States, Grenada’s Anderson Peters (javelin) and Pedro Pichardo (triple jump) from Portugal.

The athletes were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.

“It has been another memorable year for the sport and the nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, one-day meeting circuits and other events around the world,” said a statement from World Athletics.

Kipchoge recaptured the Berlin Marathon title, smashing his own world record by 30 seconds on September 25 in the German capital.

The 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion clocked 2:01:09 to win, beating his previous world record time of 2:01:39 set when winning in Berlin in 2018.

Kipchoge had on March 6 this year won the Tokyo Marathon in a course record time of 2:02:40, beating the newly crowned London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto to second place in 2:03:13.

Kenya's Olympic and world 1,500m champion Faith Chepng'etich was on Wednesday named among the 10 nominees for the female 2022 World Athlete of the Year award.

Kipchoge is the only other Kenyan male to win the award besides 800m world record holder David Rudisha, who claimed it in 2010.

No Kenyan woman has won the award.

A three-way voting process will determine the finalists.

The voting process closes on October 31.

The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics social media platforms.

Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube this week; a 'like' on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.

The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50 percent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25 per cent of the final result.

Voting for the World Athletes of the Year closes at midnight on October 31. At the conclusion of the voting process, five women and five men finalists will be announced by World Athletics.

Nominees

Kristjan Ceh (Slovakia)

- World discus champion

- Diamond League discus champion, throwing a national record 71.27m on the circuit in Birmingham

- European discus silver medalist

Alison dos Santos (Brazil)

- World 400m hurdles champion

- Diamond League 400m hurdles champion

- Ran a world-leading South American record of 46.29

Mondo Duplantis (Sweden)

- World pole vault champion indoors and outdoors

- Diamond League and European pole vault champion

- Improved his world record to 6.19m and 6.20m indoors, and then 6.21m outdoors

Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco)

- World 3000m steeplechase champion

- Diamond League 3000m steeplechase champion

- Unbeaten in 2022, running a world-leading 7:58.28 in Rabat

Grant Holloway (USA)

- World 110m hurdles champion

- World indoor 60m hurdles champion

- Diamond League 110m hurdles champion

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway)

- World 5000m champion, world 1500m silver medalist indoors and outdoors

- European 1500m and 5000m champion

- Diamond League 1500m champion in a world-leading 3:29.02

Eliud Kipchoge, (Kenya)

- Improved his world marathon record to 2:01:09

- Berlin Marathon champion

- Tokyo Marathon champion

Noah Lyles (USA)

- World 200m champion

- Diamond League 200m champion

- Ran a world-leading national record of 19.31 to move to third on the world all-time list

Anderson Peters (Grenada)

- World javelin champion

- Commonwealth javelin silver medalist

- Threw a world-leading NACAC record of 93.07m, moving to fifth on the world all-time list

Pedro Pichardo (Portugal)

- World triple jump champion with a world-leading leap of 17.95m

- World indoor triple jump silver medalist

- European triple jump champion.

Niels Laros the 17-year-old Dutch runner who’s quietly breaking Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s junior records

If you are not familiar with the name Niels Laros, it’s OK. This 17-year-old rising middle-distance star from the Netherlands will be a household name in the sport soon enough.

Laros pulled off the 1,500m/3,000m double gold at the European Athletics U18 Championships earlier this summer, breaking both the U18 European 1,500m and 3,000m records, previously held by Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

On Sunday evening at a small World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Zagreb, Croatia, Laros ran a 16-second personal best in the 3,000m, breaking the previous record of 7:56.40 held by East Germany’s Hansjörg Kunze, which stood for 47 years.

Two years ago, Laros’s personal bests were fast but earth-shaking (4:00-flat over 1,500m and 8:51 in the 3,000m), but he has since shattered his records, bringing his 1,500m time down to 3:39.46 and 7:48.25 over 3,000m.

Laros already has a faster 800m PB than Ingebrigtsen, which he recently clocked at 1:46.30, plus he has beaten Ingebrigtsen’s previous U18 times in the 1,500m and 3,000m. Ingebrigtsen had U18 bests of 3:39.92 for 1,500m, 8:00.01 for 3,000m and 13:35.84 over 5,000m.

As of next April, Laros will move up into the U20 ranks, and looks poised to be one of the biggest stars in the sport of athletics in years to come. He’s even already signed a professional contract with Nike.

Although Ingebrigtsen and Laros have never raced each other, track fans will relish this matchup in the 1,500m at the Paris 2024 Olympics, when Laros is 19 and Ingebrigtsen is 23.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen wants to run a marathon

On Wednesday at the Diamond League Final press conference in Zurich, the Olympic 1,500m champion, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, expressed interest in seeing what he could do in the marathon in the next three to five years.

Ingebrigtsen told British running legend and interviewer Steve Cram that he wants to run a fast marathon. Immediately, Cram laughed and said, “Why on earth do you want to do that?”

 “I love the sport and running,” Ingebrigtsen replied. “I see people running well in the marathon, which inspires me to be able to see what I can do. Training for the marathon doesn’t seem fun, but I’ll have to try it.”

Earlier this summer, Ingebrigtsen chatted about doing the triple (1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m) at the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympic Games. When the question arose, Ingebrigtsen said he’s always thinking and planning three to four years ahead.

The 21-year-old gave no exact time or future race plans, but said he’s enjoying the 1,500m right now. “One thing I like about the 1,500m is that it’s only a three-and-a-half-minute race.”

Ingebrigtsen will look to win his first Diamond League title in the men’s 1,500m on Thursday afternoon. Last year, he finished second to Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen wants to triple at the 2024 Olympics

Last Thursday, before Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen ran the world-leading time of 3:29.05 at the Lausanne Diamond League meet, he revealed to the media that he hopes to run the distance triple of 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics (like Sifan Hassan did at Tokyo 2020).

Ingebrigtsen planned to do the triple at the 2022 European championships in Munich, but COVID-19 prevented him from attaining the qualifying standard before the meet. “I got COVID when I was supposed to race the 10K, so I couldn’t put that into the plan for the summer.”

Instead, he hopes to attempt the triple at the world championships and the 2024 Olympics. He said he hadn’t seen the schedules yet, but added, “I hope World Athletics officials have made it possible.”

On Friday, World Athletics announced the schedule for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, and here’s what it would require:

Day 1, 7:05 p.m.: 1,500m first round

Day 2, 5:35 p.m.: 1,500m semis

Day 2, 6:25 p.m.: 10,000m final

Day 5, 9:15 p.m.: 1,500m final

Day 6, 7:00 p.m.: 5,000m semis

Day 9, 8:10 p.m.: 5,000m final

The triple would be difficult as currently scheduled. On Day 2, Ingebrigtsen would have to run the 1,500m semi-final and then the 10,000m final within 45 minutes of each other. Is it possible? Yes, but he would need to run conservatively in the semi-final and then has to hope the 10,000m final goes out slowly.

The great Emil Zatopek is the only runner to pull off the triple–at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Zapotek won the men’s 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon, breaking Olympic records in each event.

Hassan attempted the distance triple at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but came up short with a bronze in the women’s 1,500m.

There are a few changes to the 2023 schedule over Eugene 2022. The length of the competition has been changed to nine days (Aug. 19-27), as opposed to the previous 10-day schedule used for the 2022 World Championships. Another change in the time of the finals: all track and field finals will now be scheduled for the evening sessions.

World lead for Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Lausanne

Olympic 1500m champion enjoys emphatic win at Diamond League on Friday as Noah Lyles, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Joe Kovacs also take victories in the Swiss city.

There were plenty of surprises at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne on Friday (Aug 26) with world champions Ryan Crouser, Grant Holloway, Tobi Amusan and Mutaz Essa Barshim among those suffering end-of-season defeats. But there was no doubt about the winner in the men’s 1500m as Jakob Ingebrigtsen stormed to victory in a world-leading mark of 3:29.05.

Using his predictable yet effective tactics of taking the lead shortly after the pacemaker went through 800m in 1:51, the Norwegian built a small lead at the bell and held his advantage over the final lap as Abel Kipsang of Kenya battled his way into second in 3:29.93 and Stewart McSweyn of Australia showed a welcome return to form with 3:30.18 in third.

Josh Kerr bounced back from his dismal Commonwealth Games experience by finishing fourth in 3:32.28 with fellow Brits Jake Heyward (3:34.99) and Matt Stonier (3:35.57) ninth and tenth. Commonwealth champion Olli Hoare, meanwhile, faded badly on the last lap to finish 12th.

“It was a good race,” said Ingebrigtsen. “I would have liked to have gone a little faster but considering I’ve had a lot of races, it was good. I’m now looking forward to the races at the end of the season and running even faster next year.

“All in all it’s been a good season but I’m ready to put in a lot of work this winter to win more races next summer. I don’t think we’re going to get any record times in Zurich (Diamond League final next month) but I think we will have a good competition there.”

Chilly conditions in Lausanne were not conducive to fast sprint times but Noah Lyles ran a quick 19.56 (1.3) despite a poor start. Mike Norman, who had led into the home straight, was runner-up in 19.76 as Britain’s Charlie Dobson, on his Diamond League debut, ran 20.34 in eighth from the inside lane.

The much-anticipated women’s 100m showdown turned into an anticlimax when firstly world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew with a minor injury and then Elaine Thompson-Herah, the Olympic champion, false started. In their absence Aleia Hobbs won in 10.87 (0.0) from Shericka Jackson’s 10.88 and Marie-Josee Ta Lou’s 10.89.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen Completes “Double-Double” by Winning 2022 European 1500 Title

Jakob Ingebrigtsen is golden again.

After claiming 5,000-meter gold at the European Athletics Championships in Munich on Tuesday, Ingebrigtsen doubled back and won Thursday’s 1500-meter final in wire-to-wire fashion, setting a championship record of 3:32.76 in the process. Jake Heyward, who just missed out on making the British team for the World Championships and finished 5th at the Commonwealth Games for Wales, took silver in 3:34.44, running down Spain’s Mario Garcia Romo, who held on for bronze in 3:34.88.

The victory for Ingebrigtsen improves his record to 4-0 in European outdoor finals and means he has completed the “double-double” by winning the 1500 and 5000 at both the 2018 and 2022 European championships. All at the age of 21.

As is his custom, Ingebrigtsen started slowly off the line, but worked his way into the lead on the home straight of the first lap and would stay there the rest of the way. He hit 400 in a quick 56.34, 800 in 1:54.11 (57.77 lap), and 1200 in 2:51.68 (57.57 lap), at which point a pack of four men — Garcia Romo, Heyward, Italy’s Pietro Arese, and Poland’s Michal Rozmys were in close pursuit. Ingebrigtsen opened a small gap on the back straight before blasting away over the final 200, using a 55.24 last lap (27.14 last 100) to crush all opposition.

The only drama in the final half-lap centered around silver and bronze as Heyward passed Garcia Romo in the home straight to take silver and Garcia Romo held off the 22-year-old Arese — who ran a 2+ second pb of 3:35.00 — to earn bronze to go with the Euro U23 silver he won last year.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen Runs 3:57 Final 1600m to Win European 5000 Title

World 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway kicked away with ease from World 1500m bronze medallist Mohamed Katir of Spain over the final 100m to successfully defend his European 5000m title in 13.21.13, as Katir was second in 13:22.98 and Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy 3rd in 13:24.83. Sam Parsons of Tinman Elite and Germany was 6th.

The pace was very modest on a nice evening in Munich (temperature around 70 at the start) until Ingebrigtsen went to the front with 3 laps to go and began pushing the pace. A 60.2 and 59.5 made it a three-man race at the bell, with Jakob content to lead with Katir right on his slipstream until the final 100m.

Jakob ran his last 1600 in 3:57.0 thanks to a 53.74 final lap and unofficial 12.8 final 100m.

Considering he was the world champion in this event earlier this year and double European 1500/5000 champ at the age of 17, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised how easy Ingebrigtsen made the final 100m look, but Katir has run 12:50 for 5000m and got bronze at Worlds in the 1500.

Ingebrigtsen to launch another 1500/5000m double attempt in Munich 2022

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be heavily involved in the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships, part of the wider multisport European Championships, as he defends the 1500m and 5000m titles he won as a 17-year-old at the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships. 

The Olympic 1500m champion and world 5000m champion will not, however, face the either of his brothers Filip and Henrik who are both injured nor the Brit who unexpectedly beat him to the world 1500m title in Eugene last month, Jake Wightman. 

The latter is concentrating on the 800m in Munich – the event he originally planned to do at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games until he was nudged back to the longer distance because of the number of friends and family who had bought tickets for the final last Saturday when he won bronze in a high quality final in 3:30.53. 

With a personal best of 1:44.18 from 2020, Wightman has a realistic chance of adding another European medal to the bronze he won over 1500m in Berlin four years ago – and his victory over 1000m at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Wednesday night in 2:13.88, ninth fastest of all-time, will have done his confidence no harm at all. 

France’s Benjamin Robert has the fastest 2022 time of all entrants – the 1:43.75 he clocked in winning at the Paris Diamond League on 18 June in boisterous fashion, squeezing in between the two leaders with enough physicality to be disqualified before being reinstated on appeal. If things get physical in Munich, Robert is unlikely to come off second best. 

Tony van Diepen is also well acquainted with the hurly-burly of the track having been a part of the Dutch teams that won 4x400m silver at the Tokyo 2020 Games and mixed 4x400m silver at the World Championships in Oregon. 

Individually, van Diepen has won European indoor silver in 2021 and bronze in 2019 over 400m and has a best 800m time of 1:44.14 set this year in Paris after M. Robert had burst past him at the Stade Charlety. 

Robert’s compatriot Gabriel Tual, seventh in last year’s Olympic final, is third fastest on this year’s European list with 1:44.23, set in – you’ve guessed it – Paris. But the French team will be without the popular Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, the 2017 world champion, due to injury.

Poland’s Patryk Dobek has run 1:44.59 this year and even though he exited in the heats at the World Athletics Championships, he can also draw upon the experience of winning bronze at last year’s Olympics in Tokyo. 

Other medal prospects include Sweden’s Andreas Kramer (1:44.59), Ireland’s Mark English (1:44.76), fellow Brits Ben Pattison (1:44.60) and Kyle Langford (1:44.61), Spain's reigning world indoor champion Mariano Garcia (1:45.12) and the very experienced former two-time world medallist Amel Tuka from Bosnia and Herzegovina (1:46.15) whose lifetime best of 1:42.57 dates back to 2015.

Aside from Bosse, another notable absentee will be the three-time reigning champion Adam Kszczot from Poland who retired at the start of the year.

Ingebrigtsen's path to double gold is clearer although not without challenges

With Wightman elsewhere, Ingebrigtsen will surely feel happier about the prospect of his 1500m defence, but he will still face a field full of Spanish and British medal threats. 

Second on this year’s European list with 3:30.20, Spain’s Mario Garcia will be looking to give the Norwegian wonderboy another run for his money after finishing fourth - two places behind Ingebrigtsen - in Oregon. 

The Brits dominate the 2022 European list with six athletes in the top nine and despite the absence of Wightman and Olympic bronze medallist Josh Kerr, Jake Heyward (3:31.08), Neil Gourley (3:32.93) and Matt Stonier (3:32.50) form a trio with clear medal-winning ability.

But Ingebrigtsen, who ran 3:29.47 to take world silver, and ran an Olympic and European record of 3:28.32 at the Tokyo 2020 Games, should have enough to cover any challenge in both events. 

In the 5000m, it might be the athlete who appears second from last on the entry-list in terms of season's bests who could provide the biggest challenge to Ingebrigtsen. That athlete is Spain’s Mohammed Katir who won a bronze medal behind Ingebrigtsen in the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and will be focusing solely on the longer event in Munich.

Katir, 24, has a modest season's best of 13:43.61 from the Spanish Championships but he showed what he can do over the longer distance by running a national record of 12:50.79 in Rome last summer in the same race where Ingebrigtsen broke the European record with 12:48.65.

Another strong potential challenger is the experienced Spaniard Adel Mechaal, who was fifth in the Olympic 1500m final last year and set a 5000m personal best of 13:06.02 in Oslo in June. Mechaal didn't make it through to the final of the World Athletics Championships but that wasn't too surprising as he had only just recovered from an untimely bout of coronavirus which forced him to miss the 1500m.

In both the 5000m and 10,000m, watch out for Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa, 25, who has been a star performer in numerous European competitions, winning bronze at the 2019 European Cross Country Championships and the European 10,000m Cup in the same year. 

Crippa has the fastest time among the entrants based on season’s best performances in the 10,000m with 27:16.18 ahead of another showboating, talented figure in Jimmy Gressier of France – he of the famous faceplant as he won the 2018 European U23 cross country title. This didn’t stop him from walking through the line to win the same title the following year, demonstrating just how much time he had to spare. 

There weren’t quite the same histrionics at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Dublin last December but Gressier let his running do the talking and he came away with his first senior medal in a race where Ingebrigtsen ruled triumphant once again.

Gressier will be focusing solely on the 10,000m in Munich and the Frenchman is the second fastest performer this year with 27:24.51 which he set at the European 10,000m Cup on home soil in Pacé in May when he ran away from the field for the individual title.

Olympic champions Ingebrigtsen and Warholm to defend European titles in Munich

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Karsten Warholm will spearhead Norway’s team for the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships from 15-21 August, part of the wider multi-sport European Championships in the Bavarian capital from 11-21 August.

Ingebrigtsen famously broke through at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin where he won an unprecedented 1500m and 5000m double on back-to-back nights at the age of 17.

Now 21, Ingebrigtsen is the reigning Olympic 1500m champion and arrives fresh from winning the 5000m title at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. He also holds the European records in both events.

Ingebrigtsen looks set to defend both his 1500m and 5000m titles in Munich and the timetable is amenable to such a double. The 5000m final is scheduled for 16 August with the 1500m final due to take place two nights later on 18 August. 

Warholm will be seeking to become the first athlete since the great Harald Schmid in 1986 to win back-to-back European titles in the 400m hurdles.

The world record-holder’s season has been disrupted by a thigh injury which he sustained on his season’s opener in the Rabat Diamond League but Warholm has battled back to fitness and put up a staunch defence of his world title in Oregon where he finished seventh. 

The Norwegian team also features reigning Olympic hammer silver medallist Eivind Henriksen and European 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal who has registered for the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m.

There will be high expectations in both pole vault competitions as well. Brothers Sondre and Simen Guttormsen form a strong triumvirate in the men's pole vault competition alongside Pal Haugen Lillefosse while Lene Retzius will be a medal contender in the women's pole vault having improved the Norwegian record to 4.70m this season.

Norway won three gold medals at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin and finished eighth overall on the medal table.

These back-to-back sessions (a.k.a. doubles) will make you powerful, take your running to the next level with this training technique

Back-to-back sessions (also known as doubling) can be the tool that elevates your running from good to great, increasing endurance and overall fitness; but they have an appropriate time and place for every runner. Most athletes follow the general rule of completing easy runs most days in order to develop a strong aerobic base and to avoid injury.

A couple of runs per week are fast or long, to improve speed and endurance, with hard days followed by rest or easy runs. The double is the exception: two stacked workouts, either on subsequent days or spaced out on the same day.

This training method has made headlines recently due to its popularity among Norwegian pros like Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but has been used by athletes and coaches, like the well known Jason Koop, for years. Back-to-back sessions add extra stress, causing your body to respond to new stimuli, rebound and become stronger. If you’ve been running consistently for at least a year and you’re struggling to improve, back-to-back sessions may be just the thing your body needs.

Here are a couple of back-to-back sessions to try. If you’re not under the supervision of a coach, stick to running your double workouts on subsequent days: the stress load of two challenging workouts in a single day carries too much injury risk for most recreational runners.

Short and fast

For newer runners, this one can be a challenge, but the workouts can be modified for ability, and the benefits will pay off. There’s a lot of fitness involved in maintaining higher speeds on subsequent days, so running one slightly faster interval session followed by a still tough but slightly less intense tempo session is ideal.

Try it: hit the track for some intervals the first day. 5-8 x 800m at 10K pace, with a short and easy warmup and cooldown, is perfect. If you’re new to this, tweak it by running fewer intervals.

Follow that session with a fartlek workout on the second day, running two sets of 1-2-3 minutes at 5K pace, with an easy warmup and cooldown. Fartlek is a Swedish word that translates to speed play, and simply means workouts involving changes in speed and effort.

Long and longer

If you’re training for a half-marathon, marathon or ultra, your long runs are probably adding up to a fair bit of mileage. Take this a step further by stacking two long runs.

Try it: follow up your longest run of the week (25-32K) with a medium-long run (15-20K) at a slow, easy pace the next day.

If you are training for a shorter race, you probably still have one day of the week where you fit in a longer run; simply adjust the distances of your two long runs to reflect the distances you’re working with.

Make recovery a priority

Trying new and challenging things in training will also require you to level up your recovery game: make sure you follow these workouts with two rest or easy running days. Fuel and hydrate lots between and after workouts to help your body recover.

Britain’s Jake Wightman stunned the Olympic champion, the defending world champion and himself at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 running the race of his life to take the 1500m title

Britain’s Jake Wightman stunned the world on Tuesday night. Winding up to a world-leading PB of 3:29.23, the 28-year-old European and Commonwealth bronze medallist left Jakob Ingebrigtsen with no response as he surged down the home straight, eyes fixed firmly ahead. As the finish line neared, the Briton first raised his arms wide and then threw his hands to his head in disbelief, Norway’s Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen following him home in 3:29.47 and Spain’s Mohamed Katir coming through for bronze in 3:29.90.

“That’s my son,” came the voice over the loudspeaker, the race having been called by in-stadium announcer Geoff Wightman – father and coach of the winner, “and he’s the world champion.”

Left disappointed after a 10th-place finish at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Jake Wightman went back to work. He focused on building his strength over the winter, returning to some cross country racing and doing over-distance work as he refocused on Oregon.

Achieving his aim of staying under the radar through the rounds, he took his place on the Hayward Field start line with Ingebrigtsen to his left and Katir to his right. Kenya’s Abel Kipsang, who had the season’s quickest time going into the race, went straight to the front and led from Ingebrigtsen and Kenya’s defending champion Timothy Cheruiyot, with Wightman sitting in behind them. Ingebrigtsen, who broke the world indoor 1500m record with 3:30.60 in February, moved to the front with two laps to go, with Kipsang and Cheruiyot on his shoulder and Wightman tracking their every move.

At the bell it was Ingebrigtsen, Cheruiyot and Wightman, with Kipsang running wide on his shoulder. Judging the race to perfection, the Briton first surged past Cheruiyot, moving into the lead ahead of Ingebrigtsen with just over 200m to go.

As he left the bend, the anticipated kick from Ingebrigtsen never came. Glancing over his shoulder, the Norwegian looked like he knew he was beaten and settled for silver, followed by Katir and his Spanish teammate Mario Garcia, running a PB of 3:30.20 for fourth.

Wightman’s British compatriot Josh Kerr – the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist – finished fifth in 3:30.60, just ahead of Cheruiyot (3:30.69) and Kipsang (3:31.21).

“It probably won’t sink in until I have retired,” said Wightman, who has run 1:44.18 for 800m and clocked a 3000m PB of 7:37.81 indoors in February. “It’s mad. I had such a disappointing year in Tokyo last year. I don’t think people realise how crushing it was to go in with such high expectations and come away hoping for a medal but ending up 10th.”

His parents – both former elite marathon runners – were at Hayward Field to see him win, his father on the commentary mic and his mother, Susan, in the stands.

“Dad can be a bit of a robot on the mic sometimes,” smiled Wightman junior, whose time in Oregon is the third-quickest in World Championships history. “Some say robot, some say professional. I hope he broke that down today. My mum was in tears, so someone was crying.”

Reflecting on the race, he added: “The strength for me is that if I can get there with 200m to go, I will always make a move because it’s how I feel best running. As soon as the opportunity was there to go past, I just wanted to be leading the bend. The only perk of having a good 800m PB in races like that is if you are still there with 200m to go, which I haven’t managed to be in previous years.

“Even when I was coming down the home straight I felt strong, but Jakob is a beast and I never knew if he was going to come past.”

But he didn’t. Wightman's last lap was timed at 54.84, Ingebrigtsen’s was 55.24. In Tokyo, the Norwegian clocked 54.42 for the final 400m.

“I was feeling good, but I couldn't keep up with Jake in the last 200m,” said Ingebrigtsen. “I'm owning it. I am very disappointed by not winning, but I'm very happy for him. He is a great runner.”

He will now refocus on the 5000m, the heats for which take place on Thursday.

It was the 5000m that Katir contested at last year’s Olympics, the 24-year-old finishing eighth, but after setting national records at 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and 10km last year his decision to race the shorter event in Oregon paid off as he bagged the bronze with his second-fastest ever time.

Just behind him was European U23 silver medallist and NCAA runner-up Garcia, who runs for the University of Mississippi and achieved the fastest ever time by a collegiate athlete.

Cheruiyot has been some way off his best form this season and although making his presence felt in the early stages, he didn’t have the strength in the finish and faded out of medal contention.

Ethiopia’s Samuel Tefera won the world indoor title ahead of Ingebrigtsen and Kipsang in Belgrade in March but finished ninth in his semifinal in Oregon, missing out on the final.

Why run tall is bad advice, the connection between correct running posture, glute activation and quad dominance, explained

You may have heard a lot of advice to keep your shoulders back when you run, or to be mindful of having good posture, or to “run tall.” This advice sometimes even comes from seemingly well qualified people, but it’s based on a fundamental misunderstanding. The best posture for running is with a slight forward lean, which engages your glutes–the body’s largest and strongest muscles and the source of running power.

You may also have heard a lot of advice about “activating your glutes” when you run. This is good advice–but it’s not something you need to do consciously, as long as you’re running with a slight forward lean, as movement expert Jae Gruenke explains in the video.

Moreover, the advice to strengthen your glutes is of little value if you are not running in such a way that your glutes are engaged.

Running with a very upright posture means your weight is too far back for powerful running, and is likely to result in your becoming a “quad-dominant” runner, i.e. a runner who is mostly using their quads, at the expense of their glutes and hamstrings, when they run. (This may also be associated with knee pain, lower back pain and plantar fascia issues, according to Gruenke, who frequently sees this in her practice.)

You may feel like your running is fine, but your quads are likely often sore after a long or hard run, and you are probably not running as powerfully (or as fast) as you could be, even at lower efforts. Moreover, the advice to activate your glutes will seem mysterious, since it’s impossible to do if you’re not leading with your head and chest. (And you do not need to consciously contract your glutes in order to activate them.) Running with a slight forward lean will also greatly improve your ability to run uphill.

The problem, Gruenke explains, is the assumption that leaning forward when running tilts your pelvis in a way that makes it difficult to engage your glutes; but that assumes that your muscles function the same way when you’re standing, sitting or performing a deadlift as when you’re running, which is not the case. In fact, you must tilt your pelvis forward in order to engage your glutes when running, and take the full load off your quads.

One way to test this is to stand with your knees slightly bent, feet slightly apart, in a forward-leaning position, and hold it for a couple of minutes; you will soon feel your glutes working.

If you’ve ever watched champions like Jakob Ingebrigtsen or Timothy Cheruiyot run, you’ll see the forward lean in action. (It’s not a coincidence that they usually dominate in races!) Granted, they’re running much faster paces than the average runner, but the principles are no different. 

Joshua Cheptegei is set to defend his world title at Oregon

Cheptegei, 25, currently holds the 5000m and 10000m world records, the Commonwealth double and the 5000m Olympic title, will also hope to wrestle the 5000m title from Ethiopian Edris Muktar. 

Now Cheptegei, who is bidding to defend his world title over the 25-lap distance, will lead Africa’s quest for glory on the west coast of the USA.

Silver medalist over the same distance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics last August, Cheptegei’s title defence will be backed up by Stephen Kissa and world half-marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo on Sunday.

There are others like Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot will face stiff competition from Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen over the 1500m distance.

Other African stars set to bid for glory include South African sprinter Akani Simbine, Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon, Burkina Faso’s world triple jump bronze Hugues Zango among others.

According to World Athletics, 37 of the 43 individual winners from Doha will aim to defend their titles in Eugene.

Besides the champions from Doha, 42 individual gold medal winners at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are in Eugene too.

TEAM UGANDA TO OREGON WORLDS:

Women: H. Nakaayi (800m),

W. Nanyondo (1500m),

P. Chemutai (3000m Steeplechase),

E. Chebet (5000m),

M. Chelangat (10000m),

S. Chesang (10000m),

I. Chemutai (Marathon)

Men: T. Orogot (200m),

R. Musagala (1500m),

P. Maru (5000m),

O. Chelimo (5000m),

J. Kiplimo (10000m),

S. Kissa (10000m),

J. Cheptegei (5000m & 10000m),

F. Chemonges, F. Musobo & J. Kiprop (Marathon)

That starts with Japanese Toshikazu Yamanishi who will attempt to retain his 20km race walk final on the morning programme of Day 1 action tomorrow.

Ethiopia Has Changed Its Team Again for the 2022 Worlds

On Tuesday, the Ethiopian Athletics Federation announced its team for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene. If this sounds familiar, that’s because Ethiopia already named its team on June 13…and then updated it four days later to sub in Dawit Seyaum after she ran 14:25 to win the Oslo Diamond League.

Tuesday’s list — which the federation says is the final roster (it pretty much has to be, since entries were due to World Athletics on Monday) — features even more changes, which will have a major impact on Worlds, which begin on July 15 at Hayward Field. Remember, at World Indoor Championships earlier this year in Belgrade, Ethiopian athletes won eight of the 12 available medals across the 1500 and 3000 meters — including all four golds and a 1-2-3 sweep in the women’s 1500. The country is a distance powerhouse.

Here is the full roster, with changes, followed by some analysis on what it all means.

Men’s 800 (no changes)Ermiyas GirmaTolosa Bodena

Women’s 800Habitam AlemuDiribe WeltejiHirut Meshesha (1:58.54 sb) replacing Freweyni Hailu (1:59.39 sb)

Men’s 1500Samuel TeferaTaddese Lemi (3:37.06 sb) replacing Melese Nberet (no races this year)Samuel Abate

Women’s 1500Gudaf Tsegay (3:54.21 sb) replacing Axumawit Embaye (3:58.80 sb)Freweyni Hailu (3:58.18 sb, 4th in Olympics) replacing Ayal Dagnachew (3:59.87 sb)Hirut Meshesha

Men’s 3000 steeple (no changes)Lamecha GirmaHailemariyam AmareGetnet Wale

Women’s 3000 steepleMekides AbebeWorkua GetachewSimbo Alemayehu (9:09.17 sb at age 18) replacing Zerfe Wondemagegn (9:27.75 sb)

Men’s 5,000Muktar EdrisBerihu AregawiYomif KejelchaSelemon Barega replacing Telahun Bekele

Women’s 5,000Ejgayehu TayeLetesenbet Gidey (14:24.59 sb) replacing Gudaf Tsegay (14:26.69 sb)Dawit Seyaum (14:25.84 sb) replacing Fantu Worku (14:47.37 sb)

Men’s 10,000Selemon BaregaTadese WorkuBerihu Aregawi (26:46.13 sb) replacing Milkesa Mengesha (27:00.24 sb)

Women’s 10,000Letesenbet GideyEjgayehu Taye (30:44.68 sb) replacing Girmawit Gebrzihair (30:47.72 sb)Bosena Mulate

Men’s marathonLelisa DesisaTamirat TolaMosinet GeremewSeifu Tura

Women’s marathonGotytom GebreslaseAbabel YeshanehAshete Bekere

Quick Takes

1) Ethiopia’s team just got A LOT stronger and Ethiopia went from no one doubling to a lot of doublers

In recent years, Ethiopia has been reluctant to allow its stars to double at global championships. Last year in Tokyo, Ethiopia had two huge 5,000m medal threats in Selemon Barega (Olympic 10,000 champ) and Berihu Aregawi (the 10,000 4th placer who would go on to win the Diamond League 5,000 title) but neglected to enter either in the 5,000 meters. Of the three men Ethiopia did enter, two failed to even make the final and the third, Milkesa Mengesha, wound up 10th.

The federation took criticism after that misstep and it looked as if it would double down in 2022 as the initial team named in June featured no doublers. But the final squad features five athletes double-entered: World Indoor bronze medalist Hirut Meshesha (800/1500) and Ejgayehu Taye (14:12 pb, #5 woman all-time), Letesenbet Gidey (women’s 5k/10k world record holder), Barega and Aregawi, all of whom are running the 5,000 and 10,000.

2) The meet is more interesting with the Ethiopians doubling; the men’s 5,000 final is now totally stacked

The World Championships are meant to be about the best against the best. When a world final is over, we don’t want to be asking ourselves, “What would have happened if Athlete X was in the race?” But that’s absolutely what we were thinking after the 2021 Olympic 5000 final without Barega. And it’s been an issue for a lot longer than that. Only once in his career did Haile Gebrselassie attempt the 5,000/10,000 double at a global champs (1993), in part because there were still prelims in the 10,000 in those days and in part because he didn’t want to tire himself for the lucrative post-championship meets in Europe.

That shouldn’t be an issue in 2022 (and if it is, it won’t have been the fault of the Ethiopian federation) as the distance finals are much stronger with Taye, Gidey, Barega, and Aregawi doubling up. The men’s 5,000 could be an all-timer. Not only do you have Olympic 5,000 champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, but now we have Olympic 10,000 champ Barega stepping down and Olympic 1500 champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen stepping up. It’s reminiscent of one of the most famous races in track history, the 2003 World Championship 5,000 final in Paris which featured Hicham El Guerrouj stepping up from the 1500 and Kenenisa Bekele stepping down from the 10,000 only for both of them to be defeated by an 18-year-old Eliud Kipchoge.

Having Aregawi in the 10,000 makes for a stronger race as well as he was 3rd at the Ethiopian trials in that event and set a Diamond League record for margin for victory when he ran 12:50 to win the Pre Classic 5,000 by 16 seconds.

3) Gudaf Tsegay’s medal odds went up but her gold medal odds went down

Tsegay is pretty clearly the #2 women’s 1500 runner in the world. She won World Indoors by 5+ seconds and is 3+ seconds faster than the #3 1500 woman in the world right now. But she’s also not close to double Olympic champ Faith Kipyegon, who beat her convincingly at Pre, 3:52.59 to 3:54.21.

Initially, Tsegay was entered in the 5,000 at Worlds (she ran the 5,000 only at the Olympics last year, earning the bronze medal) and while there’s no overwhelming favorite in that event like Kipyegon (well at least until we see how Sifan Hassan looks this weekend), Tsegay is not as good at the 5,000 as the 1500 (as evidenced by her defeat to countrywoman Dawit Seyaum in the 5,000 in Oslo). By running the 1500, Tsegay has a better shot at a medal but her odds at gold are worse.

4) It just got a WHOLE LOT harder for the Americans to medal

An American medal in the women’s 5,000 or 10,000 was already unlikely, so the Ethiopian roster changes didn’t make a huge impact on the chances of Karissa Schweizer or Elise Cranny. But the medal odds of Grant Fisher, who finished 5th in the Olympic 10,000 last year, are way lower today than they were a week ago (a statement also true for his US teammates Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker).

Last Wednesday, two of the four men who finished ahead of Fisher in the 10,000 in Tokyo were major question marks. Bronze medalist Jacob Kiplimo hadn’t raced on the track all year, while Aregawi, the 4th placer, was named to Ethiopia’s team in the 5,000 only. Since then, Kiplimo ran 7:29 for 3,000 in Stockholm to show he’s very fit right now and Aregawi was added to Ethiopia’s 10,000 squad. Plus Barega was added to the 5,000.

Those developments will make it significantly harder for Fisher (or any American man in the 5,000 or 10,000) to earn a medal. That said, if an American can somehow medal, it will go down as a monumental achievement since no one can accuse these fields of being watered down.

Sinclaire Johnson‘s medal hopes in the 1500 also took a BIG hit. With Tsegay now in the 1500, two medals seem to be spoken for and new addition Freweyni Hailu, who was 4th in the Olympics last year at age 20, is better than Ayal Dagnachew (who is no slouch herself, world junior 800 champ last year and 3:59 this year).

5) Ethiopia needs to figure out a better way to do this

One of the most important jobs an athletics federation has is selecting national teams. And for countries that don’t use a “top 3 at the trials” model — which is to say, every country except for the US — things can get prickly as someone, inevitably, is going to be upset they’re missing out on the team.

There are ways to limit the outrage. The simplest solution is the one USATF has already discovered: hold a trials and just pick the top three finishers. Ethiopia actually did this ahead of the Olympics last year. The problem was, they held all the races on the same day, making it impossible for athletes to try out for both the 5,000 and 10,000 teams.

But even if you don’t want to stage a trials, a federation can avoid much of the backlash by announcing a clear criteria ahead of time and sticking to it. You want to pick the team based off season’s bests? Fine. Just let everyone know before the season starts and let them plan their races accordingly. Transparency and consistency are the keys.

Heck, even if you want to be subjective and use a selection panel, you can at least cut down on some of the drama by letting the athletes know in advance that they’ll have to run a few performances to impress the selectors.

What you don’t want to do is announce a team well before the entry deadline (and three days before two key Diamond League meets featuring most of your athletes) only to drastically change it three weeks later. Which is exactly what happened in Ethiopia, leaving athletes like Telahun Bekele (winner of the 5,000 in Oslo) to think they’re on the team only to yank it away less than a month later.

In the end, Ethiopia ended up picking the team by season’s best except in the 10,000, where it staged a trial race (and the top 3 there were the fastest 3 on the year). If it had just used that criteria throughout the year and stuck to it, there would be fewer angry people right now. The athletes deserve better.

All five reigning world champions named on Kenya's team for Oregon

All five of Kenya’s champions from Doha in 2019 will defend their titles at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on 15-24 July.

Beatrice Chepkoech, Ruth Chepngetich, Timothy Cheruiyot, Conseslus Kipruto and Hellen Obiri have been named on the Kenyan team for the event at Hayward Field, where they will be joined by athletes including Olympic champions Peres Jepchirchir, Faith Kipyegon and Emmanuel Korir.

Obiri won her second consecutive world 5000m title in Doha and has been selected for that event as well as the 10,000m, joined by Margaret Chelimo in both.

Chepkoech and Kipruto defend their 3000m steeplechase titles, while Cheruiyot will look to return to the top in the 1500m after securing silver behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Tokyo.

Chepngetich will be joined by Angela Tanui and Judith Jeptum in the women’s marathon, as well as Olympic champion Jepchirchir. After Tokyo, two-time world half marathon champion Jepchirchir went on to win the New York and Boston marathons and has been added to the team for Oregon.

Kenya finished second in the medal table behind USA in Doha three years ago with five gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

Kenyan team for Oregon

Women400m: Mary Moraa800m: Naomi Korir, Jarinter Mawia, Mary Moraa1500m: Winnie Chebet, Edinah Jebitok, Faith Kipyegon, Judy Kiyeng5000m: Beatrice Chebet, Margaret Chelimo, Gloria Kite, Hellen Obiri10,000m: Margaret Chelimo, Sheila Chepkurui, Hellen Obiri3000m steeplechase: Beatrice Chepkoech, Jackline Chepkoech, Celliphine Chespol, Purity Kirui20km race walk: Emily NgiiMarathon: Ruth Chepngetich, Peres Jepchirchir, Judith Jeptum, Angela Tanui

Men100m: Ferdinand Omanyala400m: Emmanuel Korir800m: Wycliffe Kinyamal, Emmanuel Korir, Cornelius Tuwei, Emmanuel Wanyonyi1500m: Timothy Cheruiyot, Abel Kipsang, Charles Simotwo, Kumari Taki5000m: Nicholas Kimeli, Jacob Krop, Daniel Simiu10,000m: Rodgers Kwemoi, Daniel Mateiko, Stanley Waithaka3000m steeplechase: Leonard Bett, Abraham Kibiwott, Benjamin Kigen, Conseslus Kipruto400m hurdles: Moitalel Mpoke20km race walk: Samuel GathimbaMarathon: Lawrence Cherono, Geoffrey Kamworor, Barnaba Kiptum

Ingebrigtsen and others in record breaking form in Oslo despite the rain

A Wanda Diamond League record from Jakob Ingebrigtsen (first photo) in the mile, along with meeting records from Mondo Duplantis in the pole vault and Femke Bol in the 400m hurdles brightened a rainy evening at the Bislett Games in Oslo on Thursday (16).

Ingebrigtsen has won almost all there is to win in middle-distance events, but a senior Dream Mile victory in Oslo was one thing missing from the 21-year-old’s resume. In fact, before today no Norwegian man had ever won the prestigious discipline at the Bislett Games.

But, racing in the final individual track event of the night, Ingebrigtsen ensured the 15,000 fans at the Bislett Stadion went home happy as he won the mile in a Norwegian record of 3:46.46, breaking the Wanda Diamond League record in the process.

Paced through the first two laps in 56.01 and 1:53.30, Ingebrigtsen was tracked closely by Australia’s Oliver Hoare and Britain’s Jake Wightman for most of the race. The Olympic 1500m champion never appeared to be under too much strain, though – even when Hoare was attempting to close in on the leader with half a lap left.

Ingebrigtsen – roared on by the home crowd, many of whom were on their feet – kicked down the home straight and crossed the line in 3:46.46, taking almost a second off his own Norwegian record and moving up to sixth on the world all-time list, just 0.14 shy of Steve Cram’s European record.

Hoare finished second in 3:47.48 to break the Oceanian record and move to 13th on the world all-time list. Wightman was third in a PB of 3:50.30 from fellow Brit Neil Gourley (3:52.91). There was also a national record for Charles Grethen of Luxembourg in fifth (3:53.20).

“I was ready to run fast and was happy to do that and to win,” said the world indoor silver medallist. “Some work needs to be done before the World Championships, but I will work hard to be in better shape there.

“Last year I was sick and couldn't race here, so it was even more special here tonight, as being the first Norwegian to win the Dream Mile. Doing things nobody else has done before is really great.”

Seyaum and Bekele lead Ethiopian 5000m sweeps

Dawit Seyaum may be new to the 5000m, but the former 1500m specialist looked anything but inexperienced as she outkicked her fellow Ethiopians to win a high-quality race.

The opening pace was steady, the first 1000m covered in 2:53.83 and 2000m reached in 5:52.33. Versatile Norwegian runner Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal then took up the pace in the second half and passed through 3000m in 8:48.65, leading a large lead pack. Grovdal held on to that lead for another 1500 metres, but then Seyaum and compatriots Letesenbet Gidey, Gudaf Tsegay and Almaz Ayana started battling for the lead with one lap to go.

Ayana’s challenge soon faded, leaving Seyaum, Tsegay and Gidey out in front. Seyaum’s kick down the home straight was enough to break free from Tsegay and she won in 14:25.84. Tsegay, the Olympic bronze medallist at this distance, was second in 14:26.69 while world record-holder Gidey was third in 14:26.92. Grovdal held on to fourth place in a Norwegian record of 14:31.07 and USA’s Alicia Monson was fifth in a big PB of 14:31.11.

(Second photo)Dawit Seyaum celebrates her 5000m win at the Wanda Diamond League in Oslo 

For just the second time in history, seven women finished inside 14:35 and eight women finished inside 14:40.

There was another Ethiopian 1-2-3 in the men’s 5000m, though this time the 1500m standout was beaten by the 5000m specialist.

The pace was steady though never blazing quick, meaning most of the field was still in contention at the business end of the race. Two-time world indoor champion Samuel Tefera led at 3000m, passing in 7:54.39, but then sat back in the pack to save his legs for a potential fast finish.

He made his way back to the front of the pack in the closing stages, but could not get on level terms with Bekele, who kicked ahead and won in 13:03.51. Tefera held on for second in 13:04.35, just ahead of compatriot Getnet Wale (13:04.48).

Keely Hodgkinson won the battle of the Brits over 800m, getting the better of fellow Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir.

The 20-year-old ran a controlled and assured race and kept her cool in the closing stages to win comfortably in 1:57.71. Muir was second in 1:58.09, ahead of France’s Renelle Lamote (1:58.50) and world champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda (1:58.68).