Jakob Ingebrigtsen set two world records in one race at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF on Thursday (13) in his first race of the indoor season.
The brilliant Norwegian was in imperious form at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Liévin, France.
Running with clear intent right from the start to challenge Yared Nuguse’s mark of 3:46.63 set in New York just five days earlier, he was paced through to 1000m as he left the field far in his wake.
He barely faltered in the closing stages, first taking down Ethiopian Samuel Tefera’s six-year-old 1500m short track best of 3:31.04, flashing through in 3:29.63.
He then glided to the finish in 3:45.14, smashing Nuguse’s short-lived record and proving he is in superb form ahead of next month’s Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
Laros wins 3000m thriller
There was also a notable success for the man touted as Ingebrigtsen’s heir apparent in European distance running.
Niels Laros of the Netherlands won the men’s 3000m in a thrilling duel with Ethiopian prospect Biniam Mehary, clocking a new Dutch record of 7:29.49, just 0.50 clear of Mehary whose time was a new world U20 record.
The victory sets up Laros as a big medal hope for the home nation in Apeldoorn 2025.
In the men’s 800m, Belgium’s world and European indoor bronze medallist Elliot Crestan got the better of world indoor champion Bryce Hoppel to win in 1:44.81.
Fabbri bounces back with world lead
After a subdued opening to the indoor season with fifth place in Ostrava (20.65m) and fourth in Łódź, (20.71m), Roma 2024 gold medallist Leonardo Fabbri exploded to life with an impressive series of five 21 metre throws in the men’s shot put, topped by a world leading 21.95m in the final round.
Training partner and Italy teammate Zane Weir was second with a season’s best of 21.72m. Also in the field, Turkiye's Ersu Sasma equalled his own national record of 5.90m to win the men's pole vault.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics