All the talk beforehand was that Jakob Ingebrigtsen not breaking the world indoor mile record would be a big disappointment, and as if on cue the Norwegian star dispelled any doubts, clocking 3:45.14 at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Liévin in France on Thursday night.
Chasing the mark of 3:46.63 set only last Saturday night by Yared Nuguse from the US at the Millrose Games in New York, Ingebrigtsen passed through 1,500m in 3:29.63 – taking almost a second off his own world record mark for that distance set on the same track in 2022.
He held on for the final half-lap and, roared on by the sell-out crowd, charged through the finish line in 3:45.14, taking just under a second and a half off the short-lived world record, becoming the first man to break 3:46 indoors in the process.
Ireland’s Cathal Doyle improved his indoor mile best to 3:53.18 when running a well-timed race of his own to finish in third, with second place going to Stefan Nillessen in a Dutch record of 3:52.70.
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At the Armagh International 5km Road Race, known as “the world’s fastest” given its unrivalled depth of fast times, Efrem Gidey found the pace of the shorter distance a little too hard to handle as he had to settle for eighth place in 13:51. Andrew Colley from the USA took the win in a course record of 13:33, holding off Britain’s Jack Kavanagh, who was second in 13:35.
Gidey was looking to add to his half-marathon record of 60:51 set in Copenhagen last September, and his 10km record of 27:43 set in Valencia last month. His 13:51 is still a personal best for 5km on the road. In the women’s international 3km, Verity Ockenden from Swansea AC took the win in 9:05.
