Faith Kipyegon came within one second of the long-standing world 3000m record, clocking 8:07.04 for the second-fastest time in history at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, a Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Silesia, Poland, on Saturday (16).
That was one of three individual Diamond League records set on a hot and sunny afternoon in the Silesian Stadium, where Karsten Warholm and Masai Russell also produced two of the fastest performances of all time.
Kenya’s Kipyegon is already the world record-holder for the 1500m and the mile, and she came incredibly close to adding the 3000m mark to her CV in only her third ever race over the distance.
How Faith Kipyegon nearly broke the world 3000m record
The three-time Olympic and four-time world gold medallist was paced by Sage Hurta-Klecker and Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull, and she tracked them closely as they hit 1000m in 2:42.07. Hull then reached 2000m in 5:25.18, a few strides ahead of Kipyegon.
After running solo for the final two laps, Kipyegon stormed across the finish line in 8:07.04 for an African record and Diamond League record, just missing the world record of 8:06.11 set by Wang Junxia in 1993.
She won the race by almost half a minute, Likina Amebaw securing second place in 8:34.53.
The performance marked a phenomenal return to Poland for Kipyegon, who was racing in the country for the first time since 2013, when she won her second world U20 cross country title in Bydgoszcz. She also made her global championship debut in Poland when she raced at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships.
“I am so happy,” she said. “I saw the world record line during the race, but today it was very hot. I want to come back here next year. All those records, this is what I love doing. I want to be an inspiration for young people, and I love to challenge myself.”
Looking ahead to next month’s World Championships, she added: “It is all about Tokyo now.”
In the women’s 1500m, Ethiopia’s world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay dominated the race to win in 3:50.62 – the eighth-fastest performance of all time. She started out on world record pace, following closely as the pacemaker reached 800m in 1:59.97, and although her pace dropped over the final lap, she remained well clear to win by more than four seconds.
How did Beatrice Chebet perform in her international 1500m debut?
Kenya’s Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet, making her international 1500m debut, finished second in 3:54.73 and Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell was third in 3:56.00 as the top seven went sub-3:57.
The men’s 1500m was won by Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse in 3:33.19, as he works towards the Diamond League Final on the hunt for a wild card entry for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. Timothy Cheruiyot moved through the field for second place in 3:33.35.
Kenya’s 2015 world gold medallist Julius Yego won the javelin with a throw of 83.60m.
