Chorzow, Poland — Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway has rewritten history, obliterating the 28-year-old world record in the 3,000 meters by more than three seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Chorzow on Sunday. The 23-year-old Norwegian phenom clocked an astounding 7 minutes, 17.55 seconds at the Silesian Stadium, shattering the previous record of 7:20.67 set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen in 1996—a record that had stood as the longest-lasting men’s athletics world record in individual track events.
In a performance that left the athletics world stunned, Ingebrigtsen’s achievement was the highlight of a meet that also saw Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis surpass his own pole vault world record by clearing 6.26 meters, further adding to the evening of remarkable feats.
The reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 5,000 meters, Ingebrigtsen had come to Chorzow with the ambition to challenge Komen’s legendary mark. Still reeling from his loss in the 1,500 meters at the Paris Olympics, he recently avenged that defeat by winning the 1,500 meters in Lausanne with a time of 3:27.83, defeating American Cole Hocker. This time, however, Ingebrigtsen set his sights on the 3,000-meter record, a distance he had long been preparing to conquer.
Crossing the finish line and glancing at the clock, Ingebrigtsen was visibly shocked, his hands on his head in disbelief as he processed the magnitude of his achievement. “It feels special, amazing,” he said, still reeling from the moment. “I was hoping to challenge the world record here, but based on my training, I can never predict exactly what kind of time I am capable of. I would not have imagined I could run 7:17, though.”
Reflecting on the grueling race, Ingebrigtsen added, “[The] 3,000 is a tough distance. After four, five laps you feel the lactic acid, but you need to get going. The conditions were difficult with the heat today, but it is the same for everyone.” Despite the heat, he managed to maintain a punishing pace, gradually finding his rhythm and surging past the record with a finish that will be remembered for years.
Ingebrigtsen finished ahead of a formidable field that included a trio of Ethiopian runners. Paris 10,000-meter silver medalist Berihu Aregawi secured second place with a personal best of 7:21.28, the third-fastest time in history, while Yomif Kejelcha took third.
As he accepted a check for $50,000 and posed in front of the clock displaying his record-breaking time, Ingebrigtsen reflected on his future ambitions. “Now I want to challenge world records at all distances, but it is one step at a time,” he said, hinting at more history-making performances to come.
The Diamond League meet also saw other notable performances, with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo edging out the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando by 0.03 seconds to win the 200 meters, while American Kenneth Bednarek took third. In a surprise outcome in the 800 meters, Canada’s Marco Arop defeated Kenyan Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, and in the shot put, American Joe Kovacs bested Olympic champion Ryan Crouser.
The meet concluded with Tokyo Olympic high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi rebounding from a disappointing finish in Paris to claim victory with a jump of 2.31 meters, rounding off a day of extraordinary achievements in Chorzow.
