Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the reigning Olympic 5,000m champion, set a new indoor mile world record of 3min 45.14sec at a meet in northern France on Thursday.
The 24-year-old Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic 1,500 champion in 2021, had come to the event expressly to better the 3:46.63 record run by American Yared Nuguse at the Millrose Games in New York last Saturday.
“It feels amazing,” said Ingebrigtsen, who had never before raced the distance indoors.
“This is what happens in Lievin. I’m a very happy man. You have to be focused for the whole race. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.”
He also broke the indoor 1,500m mark he set on the same track three years ago, clocking 3:29.63 and then holding on for the final half-lap to add the mile record.
Ingebrigtsen is the first athlete since John Landy in 1954 to set world records for the mile and 1,500m in the same race.
Meanwhile, Grant Holloway, the Olympic 110m hurdles champion, eased to victory in the 60m hurdles.
The American, who is also a double world champion, defeated Wilhem Belocian of France, clocking 7.36sec, the best time this season.
Victory was perfect preparation for the 27-year-old ahead of the European Championships (March 6-9 in Apeldoorn, Netherlands) and the World Indoors (March 21-23 in Nanjing, China).
“I feel at home on this track,” said Holloway after his fourth consecutive win at the French venue.
Two-time world champion Gudaf Tsegay fell short in her bid to eclipse Genzebe Dibaba’s 3,000m record from over a decade ago, having come close to it numerous times.
The Ethiopian had it in her sights at the halfway point but the pace dropped and she finished second to world indoor 1500m champion Freweyni Hailu, who ran 8:19.98 to improve on her world-leading time from Ostrava last week.
Ethiopia also dominated the women’s 1,500 as world road mile champion Diribe Welteji won in 3:58.89, ahead of compatriots Habitam Alemu and Worknesh Mesele.
Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent rebounded from her recent disqualification in New York to take victory in the women’s 60m in a world-best 7.75sec.
American Grace Stark (7.82) and France’s Laeticia Bapte (7.85) completed the top three.
World silver medallist Leonardo Fabbri won the men’s shot put with a best effort of 21.95m.
Former Olympic pole vault champion Katie Moon posted her third world-leading mark in as many competitions this year, clearing 4.83m to finish ahead of British world indoor champion Molly Caudery (4.75m).
Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez hit a world-leading 14.62m in the women’s triple jump, while Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands won the women’s 400m in 50.76sec.
China sends Olympic statement
The Asian Winter Games close later Friday in Harbin with hosts China dominating the medals table a year out from the Olympics and the Philippines among the tropical countries making history.
The ninth edition of the regional Games — but first since 2017 — saw China win twice as many gold medals as nearest challengers South Korea as of Friday morning, with Japan third.
China enjoyed success in speed skating and swept the women’s freeski golds despite missing Beijing Olympics hero Eileen Gu, who withdrew days before the Games with injury.
South Korea’s world-class skaters came out on top in short track, winning two-thirds of the golds in the sport.
Naturalised Chinese short track skater Lin Xiaojun, the 2018 Olympic champion in the 1500m for South Korea, was the hosts’ sole individual champion, clinching the men’s 500m sprint.
A late clash between China’s Lin and South Korea’s Park Ji-won in the men’s 5,000m relay cost both countries gold, with Kazakhstan taking the win.
In figure skating, where the field also contained world and Olympic medallists, South Korea’s 23-year-old Cha Jun-hwan won men’s singles gold.
That came hours after 18-year-old teammate Kim Chae-yeon beat out hot favourite Kaori Sakamoto of Japan for the women’s crown.
“Sakamoto is such an excellent skater,” Kim said, according to Yonhap News agency.
“I wanted to beat Sakamoto at least once at some point,and it’s an honour to beat her at a big competition like this.”
North Korean figure skater Ryom Tae Ok, who competed under a unified Korean flag at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, was second with Han Kum Chul in pairs skating.
Thailand’s Teekhree Silpa-Archa paid a poignant tribute to members of her Boston skating club who died last month in the Washington plane crash that killed 67 people.
