Diamond League Silesia and the world record that was believed to be untouchable

Ten meeting records, two world records, two challenges - not bad statistics for a Sunday in Silesia. At the 12th Diamond League meeting of the year there were fabulous times all the time and two German starters were also involved.

Words: Lukas Motschmann
Photos: Florian Kurrasch

On a hot afternoon and in front of a cheering crowd, it was one man in particular who made history: Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke one of the longest-standing athletics world records. On Sunday, in front of over 41,000 spectators in the Silesian Stadium, he ran an incredible 7:17.55 for the 3000 m, smashing the previous record of 7:20.67 set by Kenyan Daniel Komen in 1996 by more than three seconds.

Ingebrigtsen, who was Olympic champion in the 5000 m but "only" came 4th in the 1500 m, had already confidently declared before the race that the 3000 m was an ideal distance for him and that the world record, which is actually considered "untouchable", seemed within reach. And he kept his word. At the finish line, Ingebrigtsen was more than 10 meters ahead of the green lights that show the world record pace and threw his hands up in the air.

"This is a very special feeling, unbelievable," said Ingebrigtsen immediately after the race, "I had hoped to challenge the world record here, but because of my training I could never predict exactly what time I was capable of. I never thought I could run 7:17. At the beginning the pace felt very fast, but as the race went on I found my rhythm. The 3000 m is a tough course - after 4-5 laps the lactic acid sets in, but you have to persevere. The heat was a challenge today, but that's the same for everyone. My team and I were well prepared with ice vests and sufficient hydration. Now I want to challenge the world records at all distances - but always one step at a time."

Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi, Olympic silver medalist in the 10,000 m, ran second in 7:21.28 minutes, the third best performance of all time.

A total of ten new meeting records were set, including a particularly promising challenge after the men's 800m. Canadian 800m world champion Marco Arop first won in an impressive 1:41.87 minutes against Kenyan Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and then announced: "The world record is definitely within reach. I think in Brussels."

Even though no world record was set, the 3000m steeplechase was one of the highlights of the evening for several reasons. Firstly, because the Moroccan Olympic champion, Soufiane El Bakkali, won with a time of 8:04.29 minutes, just ahead of Amos Serum, who came second with the same time. Samuel Firewu completed the podium with a personal best of 8:04.34 minutes. Secondly, because the only two German starters of the evening were also in the race: Karl Bebendorf was able to end the season on a positive note with ninth place and a time of 8:17.52 minutes after a rather disappointing Olympic appearance, while Frederik Ruppert (15th place, 8:31.06 minutes) probably ran out of energy after the season highlight in Paris.

In the supporting programme, Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir set a world best and a meeting record of 2:31.24 in the women's 1000m race, which further enhanced the day's impressive performances.

The 12th meeting of this year's Diamond League series ended with another highlight, but one that has almost become a daily occurrence: Mondo Duplantis cleared 6.26 m in the pole vault, setting his tenth world record and improving by one centimeter the mark he set when defending his Olympic title earlier this month.

Impressions from Silesia