PARIS, FRANCE, June 09 — On an electric evening at Stade Charléty during the fourth stop on the Diamond League tour two venerable men’s WRs fell to a pair of 22-year-olds. Jakob Ingebrigtsen erased the 26-year-old standard for 2M, while Lamecha Girma took down the 19-year-old steeplechase record.
A well-coordinated pace-setting strategy took Ingebrigtsen through an opening kilometer of 2:29.4 and 1600m in 3:58.9 (worth a mile of about 4:00.3), well on schedule to attack Daniel Komen’s barrier-breaking 7:58.61 from ’97.
Kyumbe Munguit kept the pace going through 2K (4:56.8), stepping off 100m later and pointing ahead to encourage the Norwegian. Cranking the segment from 1600 to 3200 in an astonishing 3:52.2 (the second mile took 3:53.8), Ingebrigtsen obliterated the previous standard, finishing in 7:54.10 and becoming the second man to run sub-8. Along the way, he passed 3000 in 7:24.00, No. 4 all-time.
“Obviously, knowing that the stadium was going to be sold out and there were this many people coming here to cheer for us, it’s very motivating in the warm-up, to know that it’s a good crowd,” the Olympic 1500 and world 5000 champion said.
“The energy is at the top and [with] good conditions, good stadium, everything was set for a good time. But at the same time you need to go out there and deliver and do your best. I think we really hit the perfect opening laps, good pacemakers, good [pacing] lights, it’s a great evening.”
Less than two hours later, Girma had his own WR plan in mind. After taking silver at the ’21 Olympics and the last two World Championships, and with a PR of 7:58.68, the Ethiopian was looking to bolster his already impressive résumé. He already set a World Indoor Record in the flat 3000 (7:23.81) this year.
After passing the first kilometer mark in 2:37.7, he pushed ahead of his pacesetters on the fourth lap, and was pursued only by the pacing lights the rest of the way. His 2000 split (5:12.5) indicated that the 7:53.63 set by Qatar’s Saïf Shaheen in ’04 was in serious jeopardy.
But with a lap and a half to go, it appeared the pacing lights were starting to gain on Girma, and at the bell he was no more than a step or two ahead of Shaheen’s legacy. A burst down the backstretch and through the final water jump, however, padded his margin back, and he finished in 7:52.11. His celebration began before runner-up Ryuji Miura (8:09.91 Japanese Record) had even hit the homestretch.
“The World Record is not a surprise,” said Girma, who was not yet 4 when Shaheen set his mark. “It was my plan to beat it tonight in Paris. It’s the result of my full determination.”
The 100 featured the long-awaited return to action of Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who’d missed previous Diamond League races this season due to injury. The Italian started well, just behind Yohan Blake, but couldn’t maintain his momentum, finishing 7th in 10.21.
It was 200 world champion Noah Lyles, with his characteristic late-race momentum, who broke the tape first, in 9.97, just ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (9.98).
“I beat who I needed to beat — everybody,” Lyles said with a laugh before reaffirming his commitment to pursue the 100/200 double in Budapest. “In my head I know I can do it,” he said. “Of course there are people who think I can’t, but that’s for them to decide. They can lose money on that bet.”
Perhaps no race was more competitive than the 800, which saw 7 men run under 1:44. Canada’s Marco Arop appeared to have the victory in hand until Emmanuel Wanyonyi passed him a step before the finish. The ’21 World U20 champ had to swing wide into lane 3 in the final run-in before lowering his PR to 1:43.27 for his second DL win of the season. Arop just missed his PR, clocking 1:43.30, while world and Olympic champ Emmanuel Korir finished last in 1:47.71.
Grant Holloway recorded the season’s first wind-legal sub-13 in the hurdles, thanks to a 12.98 victory, his third in the last eight days. In the longer hurdles, CJ Allen came from behind to win in 47.92, his third sub-48 this season and just 0.01 off the PR he set at the LA Grand Prix last month.
“Races like this are really encouraging, it’s a step in the right direction, but I know I’m going to need to do more,” said the Washington State alum, who missed the WC team by one spot last year.
Olympic long jump champ Miltiádis Tentóglou won his specialty, the meet’s sole men’s DL field event, with a modest 26-9 (8.13) effort. “The wind was a little bit hard on us, so it was not possible to do very big results,” the Greek star said after edging Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer by 2cm.
PARIS DL MEN’S RESULTS
100(-0.9): 1. Noah Lyles (US) 9.97; 2. Ferdinand Omanyala (Ken) 9.98; 3. Letsile Tebogo (Bot) 10.05; 4. Yohan Blake (Jam) 10.16; 5. Ronnie Baker (US) 10.17; 6. Benjamin Azamati (Gha) 10.20; 7. Lamont Marcell Jacobs (Ita) 10.21; 8. Mouhamadou Fall (Fra) 10.22.
800: 1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Ken) 1:43.27 PR (WL);
2. Marco Arop (Can) 1:43.30; 3. Slimane Moula (Alg) 1:43.38 PR; 4. Djamel Sedjati (Alg) 1:43.40 PR; 5. Benjamin Robert (Fra) 1:43.48 PR; 6. Wyclife Kinyamal (Ken) 1:43.56; 7. Azeddine Habz (Fra) 1:43.90 PR; 8. Yanis Meziane (Fra) 1:44.78 PR; 9. Andreas Kramer (Swe) 1:44.85; 10. Emmanuel Korir (Ken) 1:47.71;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (50.20).
St: 1. Lamecha Girma (Eth) 7:52.11 WR (old WR 7:53.63 Saïf Shaheen [Qatar] ’04) (5:12.5);
2. Ryuji Miura (Jpn) 8:09.91 NR; 3. Daniel Arce (Spa) 8:10.63 PR; 4. Abrham Sime (Eth) 8:10.73 PR; 5. Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui (Tun) 8:12.19 NR; 6. Benjamin Kigen (Ken) 8:13.49; 7. Víctor Ruiz (Spa) 8:13.89 PR; 8. Abraham Kibiwot (Ken) 8:16.13; 9. Anthony Rotich (US) 8:16.27 PR; 10. Amos Serem (Ken) 8:16.94; 11. Fernando Carro (Spa) 8:17.06;… rabbit—Lawrence Kipsang (Ken) (2:36.65).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 1)
Non-DL 2M: 1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 7:54.10 WR (old WR 7:58.61 Daniel Komen [Ken] ’97) (7:24.00 NR [WL] [4, 4 W])
(60.0, 59.7 [1:59.7], 59.8 [2:59.5], 59.3 [3:58.9], 58.8 [4:57.7], 59.7 [5:57.5], 58.2 [6:55.7], 55.4 [7:51.1]) (4:00.3/3:53.8);
2. Ishmael Kipkurui (Ken) 8:09.23 NJR (2, 2 WJ) (7:38.06 PR);
3. Kuma Girma (Eth) 8:10.34 PR (7:37.50 PR); 4. Justin Kipkoech (Ken) 8:13.15 PR (7:38.19 PR); 5. Paul Chelimo (US) 8:15.69 (7:43.84); 6. Adisu Girma (Eth) 8:21.43 PR.
(best-ever mark-for-place: 1)
110H(-0.5): 1. Grant Holloway (US) 12.98 (WL, AL);
2. Just Kwaou-Mathey (Fra) 13.09 PR; 3. Jamal Britt (US) 13.14; 3. Daniel Roberts (US) 13.14; 5. Wilhem Belocian (Fra) 13.20; 6. Freddie Crittenden (US) 13.26; 7. Jason Joseph (Swi) 13.29; 8. Eric Edwards (US) 13.32.
Heats: I(-2.0)–1. Roberts 13.32;… dnf—Devon Allen (US). II(-0.6)–1. Holloway 13.20; 2. Britt 13.21; 3. Kwaou-Mathey 13.25 PR.
400H: 1. CJ Allen (US) 47.92; 2. Wilfried Happio (Fra) 48.26; 3. Trevor Bassitt (US) 48.28; 4. Ludvy Vaillant (Fra) 48.60; 5. Kyron McMaster (BVI) 48.65; 6. Khallifah Rosser (US) 48.96;… dnf—Abderrahman Samba (Qat).
Non-DL 4 x 100: 1. France 38.22; 2. Great Britain 38.90; 3. Germany 39.00; 4. Canada 39.06; 5. France 39.51.
Field Events
LJ: 1. Miltiádis Tentóglou (Gre) 26-8¼ (8.13); 2. Simon Ehammer (Swi) 26-7¼ (8.11); 3. Sreeshankar (Ind) 26-6½ (8.09); 4. Jules Pommery (Fra) 25-11 (7.90); 5. Will Williams (US) 25-10 (7.87); 6. Maykel Massó (Cub) 25-8¼ (7.83); 7. Thobias Montler (Swe) 25-8 (7.82); 8. Emiliano Lasa (Uru) 25-3½ (7.71).
Non-DL HT: 1. Ethan Katzberg (Can) 255-8 (77.93); 2. Rudy Winkler (US) 254-8 (77.63); 3. Bence Halász (Hun) 250-0 (76.21); 4. Yann Chaussinand (Fra) 243-10 (74.32); 5. Mostafa Hicham Al-Gamal (Egy) 241-2 (73.51).