EUGENE, OREGON, September 16 — A pair of American Records late in an action-packed session that began on the track with a No. 4 all-time clocking in the men’s 400H highlighted Day 1 of the annual Prefontaine Classic — this year serving as the Diamond League Final.
The Pre meet’s iconic Bowerman Mile, ringing down the proceedings as Day 1’s final event, quickly — blindingly so in pace terms — turned into a dual between brash Olympic 1500 champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Yared Nuguse, the unassuming American the Norwegian had suggested should stick close if he had record aspirations.
That’s what Nuguse did to wrap his first season of DL circuit racing. He stuck 0.2, a step behind Ingebrigtsen’s torrid tempo, virtually throughout. In the final 200, he looked to have a shot at passing, but twice No. 1 Ranker at 1500 Ingebrigtsen got to the line first. With astounding numbers on the clock.
Ingebrigtsen’s 3:43.75 — though Hicham El Guerrouj’s 24-year-old 3:43.13 World Record lived to see more days — rewrote the all-time list’s No. 3 mark.
Nuguse at 3:43.97 demolished Alan Webb’s 3:46.91 American Record set in ’07 and pushed Noureddine Morceli’s 3:44.93 — a World Record when the Algerian ran it in ’93 — back to No. 5 on the all-time list. Nuguse’s inspired miling reduced his PR from the 3:47.38 indoor AR he ran in February at the start of his remarkable novice campaign on the international circuit.
Ingebrigtsen — who’ll turn 23 this week and has unabashedly declared is intent to establish himself as the greatest middle distance runner of all-time (though he missed on attempts to capture global 1500 titles this year and last) — and 24-year-old On AC miler Nuguse made for a characteristic study in personality contrasts with their post-race comments.
While the Norwegian complimented Nuguse on his time, he half-jokingly cracked, “There’s too much disrespect in this sport. Nobody’s thanking the main pacer.”
Acknowledging the contribution of primary rabbit Erik Sowinski, Ingebrigtsen also mentioned that midday scheduling for the race made it difficult in the bright sunlight to see the Wavelight pace guide for the tempo he had…
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