Lausanne Diamond League – Athletissima – News – After Meeting Record In Lausanne, Ingebrigtsen Remains Undefeated In 2023

   NOTE: This story was written remotely. At the moment the story was finished Keira D’Amato had set a pending USA half-marathon record in Gold Coast, Australia: 1:06:37 (unofficial) –Ed. 

(30-Jun) — With the year exactly half over, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen remains undefeated across all distances after a convincing win and meeting record at the Athletissima in Lausanne tonight, the sixth stop of the 2023 Wanda Diamond League.  Ingebrigtsen, who hasn’t lost a 1500m since the 2022 World Athletics Championships final last July, clocked 3:28.72 in that discipline tonight, his second sub-3:29 this season.  He now owns the two fastest times of the season including his world-leading 3:27.95 from Oslo 15 days ago.

In tonight’s race he followed the pacemakers Mounir Akbache of France and Erik Sowinski of the United States through the first 400 meters in 55.8 seconds.  Britain’s Josh Kerr, the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, was right on the Norwegian’s heels followed by Australia’s Stewy McSweyn.  Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, the world record holder in the steeplechase, was sitting in seventh position just a few tenths of a second back.

Akbache dropped out first and Sowinski took the contenders through 800 meters in 1:51.8.  The American left the race at about 1000 meters (2:19.8) and Ingebrigtsen had to control the race for the next 500 meters.  Although Kerr remained close, Ingebrigtsen had a clear lead coming out of the final bend and pulled away strongly down the homestretch.  Girma, who had moved into third place on the backstretch, passed Kerr with about 20 meters left and took second in a national record 3:29.51.  Kerr got third in a season’s best 3:29.64.

“I have had to make some adjustments with my strategy,” Ingebrigtsen said in his post-race interview.  “I have been putting in extra miles in the last couple of weeks. It’s all to get myself in the best shape possible for the Worlds.”

Ingebrigtsen was bitterly disappointed in Eugene last July when Britain’s Jake Wightman defeated him.  His primary goal for this year –where he has already won the European Athletics indoor titles at both 1500m and 3000m and achieved a world best at two miles– is to get that world title in Budapest in August.

“I did not win in Oregon and I am looking to address that in Budapest,” he said.

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