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≡ MORE WORLD RECORDS! ≡
It’s not an Olympic year, but the world record parade has continued almost without end, along with other terrific performances. This is amazing:
● On Friday, the fast Boston University track welcomed the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, featuring recent 3,000 m world-record setter Grant Fisher, the Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 m Olympic bronze medalist.
This was a world record attempt, against the impressive 12:49.60 by Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele from 2004 and Fisher was more than equal to the task. He broke away from the field just after halfway and ran his final 400 m in 59.36 and crossed in a brilliant 12:44.09.
France’s Jimmy Gressier was second in a European record of 12:54.92, moving to no. 7 all-time, with the no. 9 performance. For Fisher, he now owns three of the top eight indoor performances all-time, and two world indoor records in seven days, after his Millrose 3,000 m triumph!
Georgetown sophomore 20-year-old Tinoda Matsatsa won the men’s 800 m in a fast 1:45.21, moving to no. 9 on the world list for 2025. American Luciano Fiore won the 1,000 m in 2:16.74, now no. 4 for 2025. Princeton’s Harrison Witt cut three seconds off his lifetime best to win the men’s mile in 3:52.87.
● At the ISTAF Indoor meet in Berlin (GER) on Friday, Swedish vault superstar Mondo Duplantis opened the season with a win at 6.10 m (20-0), the equal-12th performance all-time indoors. He cleared four bars without a miss and went straight to a world-record height of 6.27 m (20-6 3/4), but missed three times.
● On Sunday, Uganda’s two-time Cross Country and 2020 World Half Marathon champ Jacob Kiplimo blew up the men’s world record in the Half Marathon, winning the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks in Barcelona (ESP) in a stunning 56:42, ripping 48 seconds off the old best of 57:30 by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha from last October:
“I wanted to have a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record.
“I started very strong in the first two kilometers to get away from my rivals. As the kilometers passed and I saw I was going on record pace, I told myself that I had to maintain that pace no matter what.”
He destroyed a good field, with Kenya’s three-time Half Marathon Worlds winner Geoffrey Kamworor (58:44) in second, and Kenyan Samuel Mailu (59:40) in third.
Kiplimo passed 10 km in a sensational 27:15 and also hit 15 km in a world best of 40:07, and 20 km in 53:42 (26:46 split!). It’s his second world record in the distance; he ran 57:31 in 2021, only to see Kejelcha shave a second off in 2024.
Kenya’s defending champ Joyciline Jepkosgei won the women’s race in a speedy 1:04:13, moving her to no. 7 all-time.
● At the Japanese 20 km National Walk Championships – World Athletics Race Walking Tour Bronze event – in Kobe, two-time World Champion Toshikazu Yamanishi won the men’s 20 km Walk in a world record 1:16:10, shaving 26 seconds off the 1:16:36 mark by Yusuke Suzuki (JPN) in Homi in 2015. Satoshi Maruo (JPN) was a distant second in 1:17:24, but moved to equal-11th all-time!
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On Sunday, the World Athletics World Indoor Tour Gold series continued with the 11th Copernicus Cup in Torun (POL), with Ethiopia’s women’s 1,500 m world-record holder Gudaf Tsegay coming back to one of her favorite tracks.
She ran 3:54.77 in Torun in 2022, the no. 2 indoor performance ever and was ready to do better, taking over by the 800 m mark in 2:05.2 and then passing 1,200 m in 3:07.9. Running at her own world mark of 3:53.09, she finished strong and crossed in a world-leading 3:53.92, the no. 2 performance of all time!
Well behind, but still impressive was 19-year-old countrywoman Birke Haylom, second in 3:59.82, her second career indoor sub-4.
That wasn’t the only world-leading performance, as Norway’s Henriette Jaeger – eighth in the Paris 400 m final – won the women’s 400 in a lifetime indoor best of 50.44, a national indoor record! Lurdes Manuel (CZE: 51.15) was a distant second.
The men’s long jump included Paris gold and bronze winners Miltadis Tentoglou (GRE) and Italy’s Mattia Furlani, and Furlani exploded into the lead on his third jump at 8.21 m (26-11 1/4). Tentoglou got to 8.03 m (26-4 1/4) and then Furlani, already the winner, blew up on his final try, sailing out to 8.37 m (27-5 1/2) for the world lead. It’s his second-best jump ever, his best indoors, a national indoor record and moves the 20-year-old to equal-27th on the all-time list.
The crowd was crazy for home favorite, 2024 World Indoor women’s 60 m silver winner Ewa Swoboda, but it was Italy’s 2024 World Indoor bronzer Zaynab Dosso who won in 7.05, moving to no. 2 in the world for 2025. Swiss star Mujinga Kumbundji was second in 7.07 (equal-3rd in 2025) and then Swoboda in 7.10. And there was a lot more.
Britain’s Elliot Giles won the men’s 1,500 m in a tight battle with Biniam Mehary (ETH), 3:35.43 to 3:35.70, taking the lead for good on the final lap.
In the men’s 60 m hurdles, Americans Dylan Beard and Louis Rollins tied in the heat at 7.69, and then Rollins won the final in 7.59, with countryman Jamal Britt third (7.68) and Beard fifth (7.75).
Two-time Worlds medalist E.J. Obiena (PHI) won the men’s vault as the only one to clear 5.80 m (19-0 1/4), ahead of three-time Worlds medal winner Piotr Lisek (POL) and Sondre Gurttormsen (NOR), who both cleared 5.70 (18-8 1/4). Italy’s 2024 European champ Leonardo Fabbri won the men’s shot at 21.62 m (70-1 11/4), on his second throw, ahead of countryman Zane Weir (21.13 m/69-4).
The women’s 800 m had world leader Tsige Duguma in a modest 2:00.04 over fellow Ethiopian Habitam Alemu, who got a seasonal best of 2:00.61 in second.
World leader Ackera Nugent (JAM) was a close women’s 60 m hurdles final in 7.79, just ahead of Swiss Ditaji Kumbundji, who got a lifetime best of 7.80 in second.
Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. got a seasonal best of 20.24 m (66-5) to win the women’s shot over European champ Jessica Schilder (NED: 20.01 m/65-7 3/4) and 2024 World Indoor winner Sarah Mitton (CAN: 19.69 m/64-7 1/4).
There’s one more World Indoor Tour Gold meet on the schedule, coming 28 February, in Madrid (ESP).
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