CHORZÓW, POLAND, August 25 — Daniel Komen’s 3000 World Record of 7:20.67 had stood for 28 years, rightfully considered the toughest distance record on the books. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, fresh off his 5000 gold in Paris, smashed it in a mind-boggling effort in the heat (86F/30C) of Śląski Stadium, hitting 7:17.55 to lop 3.12 off the WR.
Perhaps the writing had been on the wall. “Everything is lined up for something big,” he had told a press conference the day before the Skolimowska Memorial. The rabbits, Belgian Pieter Sisk and American Vincent Ciattei, had been charged with taking him through the first two kilometers in 4:55, a clip that seemed aimed at a time in the low 7:20s. At the very least, Ingebrigtsen’s European Record of 7:23.63 from last summer would be under attack.
The race got off perfectly, and after a first half-lap in 29.4, the pacers led the Norwegian through four steady laps of 59.1, 58.6, 58.9 and 59.2. He passed halfway in 3:41.2 and 1600 in 3:56.0, compared to Komen’s 3:38.4/3:53.6. Approaching 2K, Ciattei went wide and Ingebrigtsen passed the post in 4:55.21 (Komen 4:53.7). With 800 left he started driving hard, only Ethiopians Berihu Aregawi and Yomif Kejelcha in hailing range. His penultimate lap took just 57.46, putting him a half-second behind Komen’s record pace. He would need a 58.59 to tie the mark.
No worries. Ingebrigtsen’s powerful stride never faltered and he strode ahead of the wavelights, glancing back at them once in mustering an impressive 55.47 finish. Seeing the 7:17.55 on the board, he gaped in astonishment. He now holds WRs at 2000, 3000 and (unofficially) at 2 miles.
“I was hoping to challenge the World Record here, but based on my training, I can never predict exactly what kind of time I am capable of,” he admitted. “I would not have imagined I could run 7:17, though. At the beginning the pace felt really fast, but then I started to feel my way into the race and found a good rhythm. 3000 is a tough distance: after 4-5 laps you feel the lactic acid, but you need to get going. The conditions were difficult with the heat today.”
He added, “Now I want to challenge World Records at all distances, but it is one step at a time.”
Behind him, Aregawi impressively finished in 7:21.38 for No. 3 all-time, and Kejelcha ran 3rd in 7:28.44….
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