LIÉVIN, FRANCE, February 15—Promoters of the Pas-de-Calais stop on the World Indoor Tour hyped up a possible World Record attempt in the men’s 3000, and they weren’t wrong. So good was the race that not only did a 25-year-old standard fall, but the outcome was in doubt until the last lap as two men dipped under the legendary 7:24.90 set by Daniel Komen in Budapest in ’98.
A crew of three rabbits took the principals through the Ks right on schedule, hitting 1000 in 2:28.49 and 2000 in 4:58.38. Lamecha Girma had run directly behind the pacers throughout, followed by Grant Fisher through 1800. The American lost his grip on the pace, however, and fell back as Spain’s Mohamed Katir passed him.
Once the last rabbit dropped, it was a battle between the Ethiopian and the Spaniard; Girma stayed up front and neither showed any discomfort with tooling along at WR pace. With 2 laps to go, however, Girma started forging a gap. By the bell, he had lengthened his confident stride and Katir’s hopes of a win faded. Better known as a steepler, the 22-year-old Girma crossed the line in 7:23.81 to further confirm his credentials on the flat. Katir in 2nd earned the No. 2 indoor time ever, 7:24.68.
“I was talking about this World Record attempt for the past three days,” said Girma. “My brother is my coach. He told me I had it in me and of course I believed him. I felt really good in training and it was my best form ever plus the crowd was very supportive today.
“The pacers and the WaveLight were perfect. It all clicked. I have raced here several times in this meeting. The atmosphere and the crowd never disappoint. I hope the record stays for a long time.”
Gudaf Tsegay’s hopes for a women’s 1500 WR were scuttled by her own impatience. The target was her own 3:53.09 from ’21, and her rabbits were instructed to pass 600 in 1:33 and 800 in 2:04. Not good enough for the 25-year-old Ethiopian, who never let one of the rabbits get in front of her and dogged the other so that she dropped out well before the 600, which Tsegay passed a tick slower than 1:30. She hit 800 in about 2:02.
Good thing she already had a monster lead, because her legs started feeling the burn. From a 3:47 pace at halfway, Tsegay kept slowing and eventually crossed in 3:57.47; a solid world leader run in the most painful way.
“My goal was to go under my own World Record,” she said. “Even if you are running very fast in training, you don’t always run as quick as you want in a race.”
Plenty of other world leading marks came in the Arena Stade Couvert, starting with the women’s 800, where Keely Hodgkinson left Mary Moraa far behind in a stunning runaway. Behind a rabbit who passed laps in 26.88 and 56.39, the Brit soon took over and immediately started gapping Moraa. She passed 600 in 1:26.80 with her lead still growing. By the finish she had a margin of nearly 30m on the Kenyan, winning 1:57.71–2:00.61.
“I like to think I can run much faster than this,” said the 20-year-old Briton. “The World Record would be nice.”
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, not up to full strength after losing training to a virus this winter, still was able to decimate the 1500 field, hitting a list-leading 3:32.38 after Erik Sowinski (who else?) towed him through 1000 in 2:20.37. Clearly flagged at the end, the Norwegian still handily beat runner-up Azeddine Habz of France (3:35.27). “I was suffering a lot in the last laps,” he admitted.
Only for Mondo Duplantis does a 19-8½ (6.01) win represent a “meh” day at the office. The men’s vault king, looking a touch out of the groove throughout, had Claudio Stecchi for company as co-leader after the 19-1 (5.82) setting, a PR for the Italian. Mondo needed two tries to get over 19-4¾ (5.91), where the remainder of his opposition went out.
He then had two goes at 19-8½ (6.01), the second a clearance, and called it a night.
Katie Moon ruled the women’s vault, scoring a world leader 15-10 (4.83) to top Tina Šutej’s 15-8¼ (4.78). “I did the perfect amount of jumps and probably didn’t want to take more because of the U.S. Championships this weekend. I made sure I did everything in my first attempt and I’m very happy with that.”
Long jumper Miltiádis Tentóglou scored a world leader also, hitting 27-7¼ (8.41) to defeat Thobias Montler (26-5½/8.06) and Marquis Dendy (26-¾/7.94). “I wanted some good jumps and the world lead. That worked out so I decided to quit after four attempts,” he explained.
The men’s 60 saw World Indoor champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs get out fast before getting run down by Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala, 6.54–6.57. Grant Holloway, after a 7.40 heat in the hurdles, beat Daniel Roberts 7.39–7.43, with Pascal Martinot-Lagarde far back at 7.62.
Karsten Warholm finished the night’s action with a 45.51 win in the 2-lapper, but it was women’s winner Femke Bol (50.20) who had earlier scored the best quote of the night: “My goal was to go out quicker and to die afterwards, and I died, so that’s good.”
LIÉVIN MEN’S RESULTS
(200 banked)
60: 1. Ferdinand Omanyala (Ken) 6.54 NR; 2. Lamont Marcell Jacobs (Ita) 6.57; 3. Arthur Gue Cissé (CI) 6.59.
Heats: I–1. Omanyala 6.58; 2. Cissé 6.63. II–1. Jacobs (Ita) 6.64.
400: I–1. Karsten Warholm (Nor) 45.51; 2. Isayah Boers (Neth) 46.60. II–1. Alexander Doom (Bel) 46.29; 2. Lionel Spitz (Swi) 46.57.
800: I–1. Benjamin Robert (Fra) 1:46.78. II–1. Tony van Diepen (Neth) 1:46.36 PR; 2. Mouad Zahafi (Mor) 1:46.64.
1500: 1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 3:32.38 (WL) (x, 11 W);
2. Azeddine Habz (Fra) 3:35.27 PR; 3. Adel Mechaal (Spa) 3:36.55; 4. Michał Rozmys (Pol) 3:36.96; 5. Teddese Lemi (Eth) 3:37.42; 6. Charles Grethen (Lux) 3:37.45; 7. Federico Riva (Ita) 3:37.74; 8. Melkeneh Azeze (Eth) 3:37.84; 9. Ignacio Fontes (Spa) 3:37.91; 10. Simon Denissel (Fra) 3:38.59;… rabbit—Erik Sowinski (US).
3000: 1. Lamecha Girma (Eth) 7:23.81 WR (old WR 7:24.90 Daniel Komen [Ken] ’98) (in/out: 3, 3 W);
2. Mohamed Katir (Spa) 7:24.68 NR (2, 2 W; in/out: 4, 4 W);
3. Jacob Krop (Ken) 7:31.35 PR; 4. Birhanu Balew (Bhr) 7:33.42;
5. Grant Fisher (US) 7:35.82 PR (7, x A);
6. Telahun Haile (Eth) 7:37.96 PR; 7. Michael Temoii (Ken) 7:39.38 PR; 8. Salim Keddar (Alg) 7:45.94 PR; 9. Thierry Ndikumwenayo (Bur) 7:48.38 PR.
(in/out best-ever mark-for-place: 2)
60H: 1. Grant Holloway (US) 7.39; 2. Daniel Roberts (US) 7.43; 3. Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (Fra) 7.62; 4. Jakub Szymański (Pol) 7.67; 5. Just Kwaou-Mathey (Fra) 7.67; 6. Damion Thomas (Jam) 7.67; 7. Vladimir Vukicevic (Nor) 7.71; 8. Michael Dickson (US) 7.72.
Field Events
PV: 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 19-8½ (6.01) (18-6, 19-1, 19-4¾ [2], 19-8½ [2]) (5.64, 5.82, 5.91 [2], 6.01 [2]);
2. Claudio Michel Stecchi (Ita) 19-1 (5.82) NR; 3. tie, Jacob Wooten (US) & Kurtis Marschall (Aus) 19-1; 5. Chris Nilsen (US) 19-1; 6. Rutger Koppelaar (Neth) 18-9½ (5.73); 7. Menno Vloon (Neth) 18-9½; 8. Ben Broeders (Bel) 18-6 (5.64); 9. Valentin Lavillenie (Fra) 18-6; 10. EJ Obiena (Phi) 18-6.
LJ: 1. Miltiádis Tentóglou (Gre) 27-7¼ (8.41) (WL) (27-3¾ [WL], 27-5½, 27-4½, 27-7¼, p, p) (8.32, 8.37, 8.34, 8.41, p, p);
2. Thobias Montler (Swe) 26-5½ (8.06); 3. Marquis Dendy (US) 26-¾ (7.94); 4. Maykel D. Massó (Cub) 26-¾ (7.94); 5. Erwan Konate (Fra) 25-4½ (7.73).
LIÉVIN WOMEN’S RESULTS
400: I–1. Femke Bol (Neth) 50.20; 2. Anna Kiełbasińska (Pol) 51.40. II–1. Natalia Kaczmarek (Pol) 50.90 NR; 2. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 51.42.
800: 1. Keely Hodgkinson (GB) 1:57.71 (WL);
2. Mary Moraa (Ken) 2:00.61 PR; 3. Noélie Yarigo (Ben) 2:01.47; 4. Halimah Nakaayi (Uga) 2:01.85; 5. Agnes Raharolahy (Fra) 2:02.02; 6. Catriona Bisset (Aus) 2:02.03; 7. Lore Hoffmann (Swi) 2:02.12.
1500: 1. Gudaf Tsegay (Eth) 3:57.47 (WL) (x, 8 W);
2. Hirut Meshesha (Eth) 4:02.01 PR; 3. Freweyni Hailu (Eth) 4:02.47 PR; 4. Axumawit Embaye (Eth) 4:06.15; 5. Hanna Klein (Ger) 4:06.23 PR; 6. Winnie Nanyondo (Uga) 4:06.43; 7. Adelle Tracey (Jam) 4:10.14 PR; 8. Bérénice Cleyet-Merle (Fra) 4:10.15 PR.
3000: 1. Diribe Welteji (Eth) 8:34.84; 2. Lemlem Hailu (Eth) 8:35.15; 3. Mizan Alem (Eth) 8:39.03 PR; 4. Sarah Chelangat (Uga) 8:41.16 NR; 5. Ayal Dagnachew (Eth) 8:45.24; 6. Nadia Battocletti (Ita) 8:45.32; 7. Mekides Alemshet (Eth) 8:46.70 PR; 8. Zerfe Wondemagegn (Eth) 8:46.98; 9. Maruša Mišmaš-Zrimsek (Slo) 8:47.98 PR.
Field Events
PV: 1. Katie Moon (US) 15-10 (4.83) (WL, AL) (14-7¼, 15-1, 15-5½, 15-8¼, 15-10 [2], 16-¾ [xxx]) (4.45, 4.60, 4.71, 4.78, 4.83 [2], 4.90 [xxx]);
2. Tina Šutej (Slo) 15-8¼ (4.78); 3. Alysha Newman (Can) 15-5½ (4.71); 4. Katerína Stefanídi (Gre) 15-1 (4.60); 5. tie, Wilma Murto (Fin), Huiqin Xu (Chn) & Emily Grove (US) 14-7¼ (4.45); 8. Ninon Chapelle (Fra) 14-7¼.
TJ: 1. Liadagmis Povea (Cub) 48-7¼ (14.81) PR (WL) (48-0, 47-9¼, 48-7¼, f, p, p) (14.63, 14.56, 14.81, f, p, p);
2. Leyanis Pérez (Cub) 48-¾ (14.65) PR; 3. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (Ukr) 45-11¾ (14.01); 4. Tuğba Danişmaz (Tur) 45-10½ (13.98); 5. Dariya Derkach (Ita) 45-9¼ (13.95); 6. Neja Filipič (Slo) 45-1¾ (13.76); 7. Kristiina Mäkelä (Fin) 44-8¼ (13.62); 8. Tori Franklin (US) 42-11¾ (13.10).
