Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon made it two world records in a week after delivering a masterclass in the women’s 5,000m at the Paris Diamond League meeting on Friday, while Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma smashed the 19-year-old record in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase.
Kipyegon headlined a stellar night of track and field at the Stade Charlety that also saw Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a new world record in the rarely-run 3.2km event.
Kipyegon showed her trademark kick to the line in the 5,000m to win in 14 minutes, 05.20 seconds, slicing a full second and a half off the previous best of 14:06.62 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, the world 10,000m champion.
Photo: AP
There were further outstanding performances from Keely Hodgkinson, the world and Olympic silver medalist from the UK who set the 10th fastest time ever in dominating the women’s 800m in 1:55.77, while the US’ Grant Holloway showed promising early-season form in winning the 110m hurdles in 12.98 seconds.
However, it was Kipyegon who stole the show just seven days after shattering the women’s world record in the 1,500m in Florence.
“No, I did not think about the world record, I do not know how I made it,” said Kipyegon, who burst into tears after crossing the line. “I just focused on the green light and tried to stay relaxed and enjoy the race.”
Photo: AFP
“I just did the race and wanted to see what happens. When I saw that it was a world record I was so surprised. It was all about giving my best. I just wanted to improve on my personal best, the world record was not my plan,” she said.
Not to be outdone, Girma, twice a silver medalist at the world championships and once at the Olympics, clocked 7:52.11, shattering the previous best of 7:53.63 set by Kenyan-born Qatari Saif Saaeed Shaheen in Brussels in 2004.
“I’m happy and very proud. I felt so fast during the race, so confident,” Girma said. “The world record is not a surprise, I planned to beat it tonight in Paris. It’s a result of a full determination.”
Ingebrigtsen’s efforts over the 3.2km event was equally as impressive, with the trio of record breakers aided not only by on-the-mark pace-setting but also by the Wavelight trackside lighting system that indicated world record pace — and a raucous crowd.
The 22-year-old Norwegian, already the world record holder for 1,500m indoors, clocked 7:54.10 in an incredible display in the seldom-run event, which is not an acknowledged Olympic or world distance.
The time smashed the previous best performance of 7:58.61 set by Kenyan Daniel Komen in July 1997 in Hechtel, Belgium.
“Being able to make this record feels amazing. It is my first world best outdoors,” Ingebrigtsen said.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS