Norwegian running superstar Jakob Ingebrigsten has obliterated the men’s two-mile world record that stood for 26 years, taking on the rarely run distance at the Paris Diamond League and slashing more than four seconds off the long-standing benchmark.
And after Ingebrigsten ruined the world record set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen, a spectacular meet continued to unfold as Faith Kipyegon (women’s 5000 metres) and Lamecha Girma (men’s 3000-metre steeplechase) also broke world records.
Assisted by two pacemakers and Wavelight, a technology introduced in 2020 whereby bright lights flash at an assigned pace on the rail, Ingebrigsten stormed through the two-mile race in 7:54.10 on Saturday morning (AEST).
READ MORE: ‘Fragile’ Dolphins’ injury crisis deepens in flogging
READ MORE: NRL sin-bin carnage baffles greats
READ MORE: Blows keep coming for NSW as Walker injury confirmed
The 22-year-old, already an Olympic and world champion, destroyed the world record of 7:58.61 set by Komen in Hechtel, Belgium in July 1997.
Eliud Kipchoge, Mo Farah and Joshua Cheptegei are among the champion past and present athletes who tried to break Komen’s mark but to no avail.
At Stade Sébastien-Charléty in Paris on Saturday morning (AEST), the longer-lasting of the pacemakers set an astonishing pace for about five minutes and 20 seconds, before leaving Ingebrigsten to run solo for the final couple of minutes as the athletics world marvelled at the phenomenal athlete.
“That’s outrageous,” wrote Athletics Weekly journalist Tim Adams on Twitter.
“Generational talent.”
Ingebrigsten is now the owner of two world records, having already broken the men’s indoor 1500-metre world record in February 2022, posting 3:30.60 in Liévin, France.
Shortly after Ingebrigsten’s record-breaking feat at the Paris Diamond League, Kenya’s Kipyegon broke a world record for the second time in a week.
In an enthralling contest with Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, the Olympic and world champion stopped the clock at 14:05.20 in the women’s 5000 metres, eclipsing the world record of 14:06.62 set by Gidey in Valencia, Spain in October 2020.
At the Florence Diamond League only seven days earlier, Kipyegon broke the women’s 1500-metre world record as she charged to victory in 3:49.11, becoming the first woman in history to crack the 3:50 barrier.
Ethiopia’s Girma clocked 7:52.11 in the men’s 3000-metre steeplechase to steal the world record from Kenya’s Saif Saaeed Shaheen, whose 7:53.63 had stood since September 2004, when he dazzled in Brussels, Belgium.
The Paris Diamond League also saw two Australians enjoy victory with Nicola Olyslagers winning the women’s high jump and Nina Kennedy taking out the women’s pole vault.
Olyslagers registered a season’s best of 2.00 metres, while Kennedy chalked up a season’s best of 4.77 metres.
Australia’s Catriona Bisset finished fourth in the women’s 800 metres in 1:58.55.
Kelsey-Lee Barber finished second in the women’s javelin with a season’s best of 62.54 metres, while fellow Australian Mackenzie Little produced a throw of 58.54 metres to finish seventh.
The Diamond League season will continue in Oslo on Thursday morning (AEST).
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
