CHORZÓW, POLAND, August 23 — The Skolimowska Memorial 1500 script had a duel between Cole Hocker and Jakob Ingebrigtsen as its main storyline — the pair meeting over the metric mile for the first time since the ’24 DL Final in Brussels — with the likes of ’25 WC winner Isaac Nader maybe having a part to play.
However, with a loaded field that also included the Netherlands’ recently minted Euro champ Stefan Nillessen, few would have foreseen former North Carolina Tar Heel Ethan Strand sprinting home for a maiden DL victory in 3:30.77.
Any prerace skepticism about the winner should well have been tempered, at least a little, by Strand’s status as the mile’s Collegiate Record holder. He ran 3:48.32 indoors in February of ’25. Still, a DL win against a loaded field — well, that’s a new level for the 23-year-old.
“Beating these great runners here is incredible but I ran it the hard way, I used way too much energy running in outside lanes. It is still a lack of practice,” reflected Strand, running in only his second DL race in Europe.
“I am so comfortable at the back of the races, I found myself right behind Jakob so the moment I saw him move, I knew it was time to go.”
He added, “I am proud of this race. It means something. Winning these meetings is a big milestone in my journey. This victory is a surprise for everyone, me included. The speed was there, but before I struggled with running the race-pace.”
Evidence of Strand’s analysis could be seen from the way his race unfolded.
Lodged towards the rear of the 15-man field, excluding the two pacemakers, he only started moving up during the second half of the penultimate lap.
He was still 6th at the bell — passed in 2:36.5 — but, cleverly staying out of trouble by mainly running in the second lane, he gradually improved his position.
Kenya’s Phanuel Koech, still just 19, hit the front with 150 to go but then stumbled on the curb, briefly halting his momentum as Strand went to the fore coming into the homestraight and started to go through the gears.
Behind Strand, Koech recovered quickly to take 2nd in 3:31.14 with the fast-finishing Hocker 3rd in 3:31.16 after being badly boxed down the backstretch on the last lap.
Ingebrigtsen — in his first 1500 and just his second race of the year after Achilles surgery in January and supposedly little more than a month of full training — took 4th in 3:31.39. His return to miling came less than a week after his first ’26 outing where he took an emotional Euro 5000 title.
The few spots of rain on Strand’s parade might be that he eased up in the last 15m and otherwise would likely have improved his 3:30.25 PR set when he finished 2nd at the ’25 Nationals.
In the absence of Rai Benjamin, who contested the flat 400, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos sped to a world-leading 400H time, 46.43, the No. 6 all-time performance over the barriers as well as the second-fastest time of his career. Only his 46.29 PR set in winning the ’22 WC is faster.
Having won in Chorzów 12 months ago in a stunning 46.28, this time the WR-holder and 3-time world champion Karsten Warholm had to settle for 2nd with 46.52 after a thrilling race.
After a 6-week absence from racing following his 43.44 NR at the Monaco DL, Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi showed he’d been putting in the hard work away from the spotlight as he crossed the line over one lap of the Silesian Stadium in 43.59.
Behind the ‘25 Worlds 400 gold medalist, fellow Tokyo winner Benjamin had an outstanding run, leading off the last bend before Kebinatshipi edged past him. Benjamin was rewarded with a 43.83 PR.
He also became the first who might be considered a specialist 400H man to run under 44 seconds, with his main rivals dos Santos and Warholm having PRs of 44.38 and 44.87.
“Every time I race against Kebinatshipi, it seems to get difficult,” joked Benjamin. “I just raced 2 days ago in Lausanne, 400 hurdles [his only race over the barriers so far this season, where he won in 46.67], so this was quite a challenge.
“The conditions were good. It was cool but not too cold. This time means that I am in great shape. I wished I had won but I need to work on my last 20m.”
Mondo Duplantis has a soft spot for the Chorzów meet. He has now won here for the last 4 years and also set a 20-6½ (6.26) WR in ’24 – and said at the pre-event press conference the crowd would see the figures “6.32” on the infield scoreboard.
He delivered on his promise after clearing 20-4 (6.20) at the first time of asking. On that jump he had perhaps 4 inches to spare but caught the bar with his chest and caused it to take a little leap upwards off the pegs before settling down again. He then moved the bar moved up to WR height.
However, after a busy week which saw him win the Euros with 20-2 (6.15) then the Lausanne DL with 20-4½ (6.21), where he took 2 attempts at a WR, it was perhaps a bit much to expect too many heroics in Chorzów. After one aborted attempt at 20-8¼ (6.32) he called it a day.
Duplantis said, “The competition was super difficult for me. I was really sloppy at the beginning, but I was trying to survive, to give myself a new life. I always tell myself every time you clear a height, you get 3 new attempts. I made a few mistakes today and some of my judgment calls were off. But if you told me at 5.90 [19-4¼] I would end the competition with 6.20 [20-4], I would have been really happy.
“I lost a lot too much energy at those lower heights to break the World Record today.” He’d had first-time failures at 18-6½ (5.65), 19-4¼ (5.90) as well as 20-0 (6.10).
In a competition of almost unprecedented depth, Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen and Emmanouíl Karalís tied for 2nd at 19-8¼ (6.00), only the second time ever that 3 men have cleared 6m or more in the same meet, after the aforementioned ’24 Chorzów DL.
With 3 more men over 19-4 ¼ (5.90), it was also only the second time that 6 men have been over that height at a meet — the ’25 Worlds being the other occasion.
Among the plethora of other outstanding performances, WR holder Mykolas Alekna sent his discus out to 238-1 (72.58), a distance only the giant Lithuanian has beaten outside of the Ramona wind tunnel this year.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville held off Kenny Bednarek to win the 100 in 9.83 to the American’s 9.87, while Ja’Kobe Tharp recovered from his Lausanne disaster 2 days earlier to lead home a U.S. 1-2-3-4 in the 110H in 13.05.
CHORZÓW DL MEN’S RESULTS
100(1.4): 1. Oblique Seville (Jam) 9.83; 2. Kenny Bednarek (US) 9.87; 3. Christian Coleman (US) 9.93; 4. Kayinsola Ajayi (Ngr) 9.94; 5. Gift Leotlela (SA) 9.95; 6. Andre De Grasse (Can) 9.96; 7. Akani Simbine (SA) 9.96; 8. Ronnie Baker (US) 9.97; 9. Emmanuel Eseme (Cam) 9.99.
(best-ever mark-for-place 9)
400: 1. Collen Kebinatshipi (Bot) 43.59; 2. Rai Benjamin (US) 43.83 PR; 3. Zakithi Nene (SA) 44.37; 4. Jacory Patterson (US) 44.41; 5. Attila Molnár (Hun) 44.68; 6. Jereem Richards (Tri) 44.72; 7. Chris Bailey (US) 44.77; 8. Bayapo Ndori (Bot) 45.18.
1500: 1. Ethan Strand (US) 3:30.77 (13.2, 26.4, 54.2, 1:50.4); 2. Phanuel Koech (Ken) 3:31.14; 3. Cole Hocker (US) 3:31.16; 4. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 3:31.19 (2:50.21); 5. Samuel Pihlström (Swe) 3:31.41; 6. Jake Heyward (GB) 3:31.47; 7. Vincent Ciattei (US) 3:31.77; 8. Anass Essayi (Mor) 3:31.91; 9. Isaac Nader (Por) 3:32.00; 10. Romain Mornet (Fra) 3:32.15; 11. Hobbs Kessler (US) 3:32.76;… 15. Nathan Green (US) 3:47.72;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (55.32, 56.82 [1:52.14]).
St: 1. Gemechu Godana (Eth) 8:02.74 PR; 2. Soufiane El Bakkali (Mor) 8:04.61 (5:25.57); 3. Salaheddine Ben Yazide (Mor) 8:05.08 PR; 4. Ruben Querinjean (Lux) 8:05.36 NR; 5. Samuel Firewu (Eth) 8:06.65; 6. Edmund Serem (Ken) 8:09.57; 7. Karl Bebendorf (Ger) 8:10.40;… 11. Matthew Wilkinson (US) 8:12.56; 12. Nathan Mountain (US) 8:16.18.
110H(-0.7): 1. Ja’kobe Tharp (US) 13.05; 2. Trey Cunningham (US) 13.08; 3. Jamal Britt (US) 13.09; 4. Cordell Tinch (US) 13.22; 5. Orlando Bennett (Jam) 13.25; 6. Jakub Szymański (Pol) 13.34; 7. Rachid Muratake (Jpn) 13.41; 8. Just Kwaou-Mathey (Fra) 13.46.
400H: 1. Alison dos Santos (Bra) 46.43 (x, 6 W);
2. Karsten Warholm (Nor) 46.52; 3. Matheus Lima (Bra) 47.26 PR; 4. Nathaniel Ezekiel (Ngr) 47.83; 5. Oskar Edlund (Swe) 48.34; 6. Ismail Nezir (Tur) 48.46; 7. Abderrahmane Samba (Qat) 48.64; 8. Trevor Bassitt (US) 48.71;… dnf—Caleb Dean (US).
Field Events
HJ(town square): 1. Gianmarco Tamberi (Ita) 7-7 (2.31); 2. Romaine Beckford (Jam) 7-6 (2.29); 3. tie, JuVaughn Harrison (US) & Mateusz Kołodziejski (Pol) 7-5 (2.26); 5. tie, Oleh Doroshchuk (Ukr) & Tyus Wilson (US) 7-5; 7. Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qat) 7-3¾ (2.23).
PV: 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 20-4 (6.20) (x, =14 W) (18-6½ [2], 19-4¼ [2], 19-8¼, 20-0 [2], 20-4, 20-8¾ WR [x, p, p]) (5.65 [2], 5.90 [2], 6.00, 6.10 [2], 6.20, 6.32 WR [x, p, p]);
=2. Manolo Karalís (Gre) 19-8¼ (6.00) (18-½, 19-¼, 19-4¼, 19-8¼, 20-4 [xxx]) (5.50, 5.80, 5.90, 6.00, 6.20 [xxx]); =2. Sondre Guttormsen (Nor) 19-8¼ =PR (18-½, 19-¼, 19-4¼, 19-8¼, 20-0 [xxx]) (5.50, 5.80, 5.90, 6.00, 6.10 [xxx]);
4. Chris Nilsen (US) 19-4¼ (5.90); 5. Kurtis Marschall (Aus) 19-4¼; 6. KC Lightfoot (US) 19-4¼; 7. EJ Obiena (Phi) 19-¼ (5.80); 8. tie, Zach Bradford (US), Baptiste Thiery (Fra) & Sam Kendricks (US) 18-6½ (5.65).
SP: 1. Leonardo Fabbri (Ita) 72-5¼ (22.08) (70-1½, 69-4, 70-1, 72-5¼, f, 69-8¼) (21.37, 21.13, 21.36, 22.08, f, 21.24); 2. Jordan Geist (US) 72-¾ (21.96) (71-9½, 72-¼, 71-3½, f, 72-¾, 71-3½) (21.88, 21.95, 21.73, f, 21.96, 21.73); 3. Joe Kovacs (US) 71-8¾ (21.86); 4. Payton Otterdahl (US) 71-6¼ (21.80); 5. Tripp Piperi (US) 71-0 (21.64); 6. Rajindra Campbell (Jam) 70-10¾ (21.61); 7. Roger Steen (US) 70-5 (21.46); 8. Tom Walsh (NZ) 69-10¼ (21.29).
DT: 1. Mykolas Alekna (Lit) 238-1 (72.58) (233-0, 235-1, 233-10, f, 238-1, f) (71.03, 71.67, 71.29, f, 72.58, f); 2. Kristjan Čeh (Slo) 226-1 (68.93); 3. Daniel Ståhl (Swe) 223-11 (68.25); 4. Henrik Janssen (Ger) 223-8 (68.19); 5. Steven Richter (Ger) 222-5 (67.81); 6. Rojé Stona (Jam) 221-11 (67.65); 7. Ralford Mullings (Jam) 218-0 (66.44); 8. Matt Denny (Aus) 217-9 (66.38).
HT: 1. Ethan Katzberg (Can) 272-0 (82.92) (f, 266-11, 267-8, 270-7, 272-0, 271-2) (f, 81.37, 81.59, 82.49, 82.92, 82.66); 2. Merlin Hummel (Ger) 266-7; 3. Bence Halász (Hun) 260-7 (79.44); 4. Rudy Winkler (US) 258-4 (78.75); 5. Yann Chaussinand (Fra) 254-9 (77.65); 6. Paweł Fajdek (Pol) 250-9 (76.44); 7. Wojciech Nowicki (Pol) 239-3 (72.92).
