The endurance running distances of the Paris Diamond League competition saw wild world record fights on Friday, when no less than three athletes broke the records of their own sport.
Last week, in the women’s 1,500 meters ME (3.49.11) pinned Kenya Faith Kipyegon now broke the world record at 5,000 meters (14:05,20).
Men’s 3,000m steeplechase in Ethiopia Lamecha Girma crushed the one who represented Qatar in his peak years Saif Saaeed Shaheen The 19-year-old record (7:53,63) is one and a half seconds away (7:52,11).
Before the official evening part, the Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen beat the Kenyan by four seconds (7:54.10). by Daniel Komen from the 1997 two-mile world record. The rarely run distance is not in the prize race program.
The ME runs were winged by the so-called light hare.
The men’s 3,000m steeplechase has typically been a distance dominated by Kenyans. In recent years, the sport has been dominated by Morocco Soufiane El Bakkaliwho has a world championship and Olympic gold.
Girma, who was born in 2000, has not achieved a world championship victory, but now the three-time silver medalist holds the world record in the sport.
Two top performers
The men’s steeplechase world record has not been in danger in recent years, so the breaking of that record was a surprise to many. Endurance running coach and ex-obstacle runner Janne Ukonmaanaho says that indications of a real peak time have been in the air, however.
Girma ran the 3,000-meter indoor track world record (7:23.81) during the Halle season, and a month ago ran his outdoor track record of 7:26.18 for the same distance in the Doha Diamond League competition.
In addition to Girma, El Bakkali has also been in top form since the beginning of the season. Earlier this summer, he ran his steeplechase record of 7:56.68, with which he is now ninth in the all-time record.
In the record runs of both, the hare runners were not able to keep pace for very long. For example, in Friday’s ME run, Girma started to wipe out the solo run early on.
– When they both ran a smooth third well in Doha, it seemed that this summer the world record is possible when the two of them meet, says Ukonmaanaho.
Ukonmaanaho said that the world record would have been broken by the duo in the middle of July in the Diamond League competition in Monaco. The factories in Monaco often experience the toughest times.
– This came earlier than I expected. This wasn’t the last time this summer either. The level of the top of the obstacles is one that has not been seen since Saheen’s time.
Girma pulled the first two tons with tremendous speed. The last two rounds were challenging.
– The goal was that the Intermediate time of 2,000 meters would have been 5.14.5. However, it was 5.12.5. In general, the second ton of running is slower when you run at the most optimal pace, but now it seemed to be too much. It ate up a bit of time from the end.
A slightly calmer initial pace has the potential for an even more muted time.
– Then El Bakkali to compete with him, so we can see under 7.50 this season. That would be awesome.
The lack of experience was visible
29-year-old Kipyegon already won Olympic gold seven years ago. However, the Kenyan, who became a mother in 2018, has found her sharpest mood only in recent years.
He is better known as a 1,500 meter runner. He cured Ethiopia last week Genzebe Dibaban eight year old ME time by more than a second.
The last time Kipyegon ran to the finish line of the 5,000-meter race was in 2015. Now, in the ME run, he took no less than 26 seconds off his old record.
On Friday, he was assisted by a former ME woman Letesenbet Gidey, who recorded the all-time triple time (14.07.94). Ethiopian Gidey still holds the 10,000m world record.
– He is a runner with good endurance for Tonnivitose. For profiles of its style, for example, 3,000 meters is a good distance.
– It is surprising in itself that he can pull so well in his first 5,000 meter race after a long break. In that sense, there may be potential for even better. Of course, that was a great run for him to run when there was a light hare and Gidey was still a hare the whole way.
In the last 200 meters, he reached 28 seconds at a furious pace.
– The last 200 meters it seemed that he still doesn’t have that much experience in Vitos and doesn’t know his own resources.
Top spikes and tough individuals
The night of three world records and the 1,500 meter ME run last week inevitably raise the idea of how much, for example, new shoe technology has an impact on the times.
Ukonmaanaho, who is familiar with shoe technology, says that according to new, as yet unpublished studies, the newest spikes are useful.
– The thickness of the shoe in spikes is 25 millimeters. It limits what you can build on the spikes. According to preliminary data, it would reduce the runner’s oxygen consumption by about two percent.
– It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it requires a certain kind of step from the runner in order to get the most out of the shoe. It is one influencing factor why the results improve. It has been estimated that it would be a few seconds for a mile, Ukonmaanaho adds.
However, he reminds us that today’s top runners are also very tough individuals.
– Sometimes such runners have not been found for all the trips. For example, there haven’t been runners like Girma and El Bakkal in the hurdles for ages or even decades. It is not only explained with spikes, but it is a whole.