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Paris Diamond League – Meeting de Paris – News – Records Come Crashing Down At Incredible Meeting de Paris

Paris Diamond League - Meeting de Paris - News - Records Come Crashing Down At Incredible Meeting de Paris

RECORDS COME CRASHING DOWN AT INCREDIBLE MEETING DE PARIS
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2023 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved – Used with permission.

   NOTE: This story was written remotely –Ed.

PARIS (09-Jun) — In a spectacular display of distance running on the blue track at the Stade Sébastien Charléty, two World Athletics records and one world best were broken at the Meeting de Paris, the fourth stop of the 2023 Wanda Diamond League.  On a warm and still night about 20,000 spectators got to see Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen break Daniel Komen’s 1997 two mile world best of 7:58.61, clocking 7:54.10; Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon take down Letesenbet Gidey’s 2020 5000m world record of 14:06.62, running 14:05.20; and Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma break Saif Saeed Shaheen’s 2004 steeplechase world record of 7:53.63, clocking 7:52.11.

“We’re out of superlatives,” said veteran British commentator Chris Dennis as he closed today’s broadcast.

Ingebrigtsen’s race came first, and was actually not part of the meet’s official Diamond League program.  Starting on the far outside and wearing Nike’s special black and white kit given only to world champions, Ingebrigtsen got behind the race’s two pacemakers, France’s Benoit Campion and Kenya’s Kyumbe Munguti.  For a short time the rest of the pack stayed within range, but after passing through the first mile right on four minutes (3:58.9 at 1600m), it was only Ingebrigtsen and his second pacer, Munguti, who were still at the front.  Munguti made it through five laps before pulling out, and Ingebrigtsen had to run alone from there.  The crowd was with him.

“The public was amazing, without their help, it would have been more difficult,” he said in his mixed zone interview.

The Norwegian pulled ahead of the green Wave Light indicators which illuminated the world best pace along the inside rail.  According to the transponder timing system, which recorded 400-meter laps and not 440-yard splits, Ingebrigtsen ran 3:52.2 from 1600m to 3200m, essentially the second mile of the race.  That sealed the record.

“Being able to make this record feels amazing,” Ingebrigtsen said in his mixed zone interview.  “It is my first world best outdoors. The pace felt very smooth for me, coming out of the 1500m.  I would say it was a good race.”  He added: “I was a bit surprised about the time in the end.”

Kipyegon’s race came 34 minutes later, and the reigning Olympic and world champion had a real battle on her hands.  Current world record…

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