Jakob Ingebrigtsen wrote his name in the history books in the world of track and field on Sunday, August 25, at the Silesian Stadium, breaking one of the sport’s longest-standing records.
The 23-year-old Norwegian athlete clocked an impressive 7:17.55 in the 3,000m, surpassing the previous record of 7:20.67 set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen back in 1996 by more than three seconds.
HE SMASHED THE WORLD RECORD!
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 25, 2024
Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen clocked 7:17.55 for an incredible victory in the men's 3000m.
Peacock | #SilesiaDL pic.twitter.com/NzjVNZbz8F
This achievement came during the Silesia Wanda Diamond League meeting, the second race weekend in a dominant comeback for Ingebrigtsen, who lost his Olympic 1,500m title earlier this month in Paris but secured gold in the 5,000m.
The night before the race, Ingebrigtsen hinted he was going for broke, saying, “I’m excited about the race. The 3,000m is a very good distance for me, and everything is lined up for something big.”
And something big indeed happened.
With a personal best of 7:23.63 set in Eugene last year, which already placed him third on the all-time list, Ingebrigtsen knew he was closing in on history. The second-best all-time performance stood at 7:23.09, recorded by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
But this time, Ingebrigtsen made history, breaking away from his competitors in the final lap. As he passed the bell, the green wavelight indicators for the world record seemed to trail far behind him. By the home stretch, he was a full 10 meters ahead of the green light, finishing the race with a sense of disbelief, hands on his head.
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, who won silver in the Olympic 10,000 meters, also delivered an outstanding performance, finishing second in 7:21.28, now the third fastest time ever in the 3,000 meters.
