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≡ INGEBRIGTSEN ON FIRE! ≡
The annual indoor Hauts de France-Pas-de-Calais meet on Thursday drew extra attention for a stellar field, including world-record shots in the men’s mile and women’s 3,000 m. The meet produced world leaders in 10 events and two world records:
● Men/1,500 m: 3:29.63 en route, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) ~ World Record
● Men/Mile: 3:45.14, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) ~ World Record
● Men/60 m hurdles: 7.36, Grant Holloway (USA)
● Men/Shot: 21.95 m (72-0 1/4), Leonardo Fabbri (ITA)
● Women/400 m: 50.76, Lieke Klaver (NED)
● Women/1,500 m: 3:58.89, Diribe Welteji (ETH)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:19.98, Frewenyi Hailu (ETH)
● Women/60 m hurdles: 7.75, Ackera Nugent (JAM)
● Women/Vault: 4.83 m (15-10), Katie Moon (USA)
● Women/Triple Jump: 14.62 m (47-11 3/4), Leyanis Perez (CUB)
The mile was focused on Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Tokyo Olympic 1,5000 m champion and Paris 5,000 m gold medalist. And he delivered!
Reaching for American Yared Nuguse’s 3:46.53 from the Millrose Games, Ingebrigtsen passed 400 m in 56.39, 800 m in 1:52.55 (56.16), 1,200 m in 2:48.39 (55.84) and 1,500 m in a brilliant 3:29.63, better than his 2022 world record of 3:30.60 (also in Lievin)!
He finished in 3:45.14 (56.74 for final 409 m), crushing Nuguse’s mark by more than a second and winning by more than seven seconds, with Stefan Nillessen (NED) second in 3:52.70. American Sam Prakel finished ninth in 3:55.87.
Wow! Said Ingebrigtsen – after his first-ever indoor mile – afterwards:
“This race was special in different ways: I ran a world record during my first indoor mile and became the first man to run under 3:30 over 1500 m. …
“You don’t just break world records. Everything has to go according to plan and today was one of those days where it all worked out perfectly. For that I need to thank my team and the organization. I don’t take anything for granted, and that is exactly why I maximize every opportunity. Why waste a shot at the 1500 m world record and only go for the mile record when both are on the table?
“It feels amazing. This is what happens in Lievin. I’m a very happy man. You have to be focused for the whole race. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.”
Ethiopian star Gudaf Tsegay, still just 27 and a three-time World Champion indoors and out, came into the women’s 3,000 m as no. 2 all-time at 8:16.69 from 2023, just 0.09 off Genzebe Dibaba’s 8:16.60 mark from 2024. She was in a good field with countrywomen Freweyni Hailu, the 2024 World Indoor 1,500 champ, and Birke Haylom. Tsegay took over from the pacesetters at 1,600 m and she and Hailu broke away from the field by 2,000 m.
From there, Tsegay led with two laps to go and then Hailu took over, powering away to win in a world-leading 8:19.98, moving to no. 3 all-time, with the no. 4 performance. Tsegay fell back on the final lap and was second in 8:25.12. Haylom closed up for third in 8:25.37. Said Hailu: “I executed my simple plan perfectly, to follow [Tsegay] until just before the finish and then out-kick her.”
The women’s 1,500 m was not quite as dramatic, but featured 2023 World Road mile winner Diribe Welteji (ETH), the 2023 Worlds runner-up and she was easily the class of the field, taking over with three laps left and winning in a world-leading 3:58.89, her third-fastest indoor mark in the event. Teammates Habitam Alemu and Worknesh Mesele went 2-3 in 4:03.86 (no. 5 in 2025) and 4:05.06 (no. 8).
Paris Olympic 110 m hurdles winner Grant Holloway of the U.S. led the qualifying and was the big favorite in the men’s 60 m hurdles, and continued his winning streak of more than 10 years with a world-leading 7.36 victory, clear of France’s 2021 European Indoor winner Wilhelm Belocian (7.46).
Fellow Americans Louis Rollins and Michael Dickson finished fourth and seventh in 7.54 and 7.65, respectively.
The men’s shot saw a world-leading win from 2024 European champ Leonardo Fabbri, who reached 21.95 m (72-0 1/4) on his final throw to win over prior world leader Zane Weir (ITA: 21.72 m/71-3 1/4). Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell, the Paris Olympic bronzer, got third with a seasonal best of 21.34 m (70-0 1/4). American Tripp Piperi was sixth at 20.55 m (67-5 1/4).
Dutch star Lieke Klaver, the 2024 World Indoor runner-up, improved on her own world-leading mark in the women’s 400 m, winning easily in 50.76m an 0.16 improvement! France’s Louise Maraval was second in 52.20, a seasonal best.
Ackera Nugent, the Jamaican star who false-started out of the Millrose final, came back with a world-leading win in the 60 m hurdles in 7.75, 0.01 better than Olympic winner Masai Russell’s mark in New York. Nugent edged U.S. Olympic finalist Grace Stark (7.82).
Tokyo Olympic women’s vault champ Katie Moon of the U.S. has been hot, with two world leads in two meets this season, and got a third in Lievin, winning with another world leader at 4.83 m (15-10) improving her Millrose height by one centimeter. Britain’s Molly Caudery, the 2024 European champ, was second at 4.75 m (15-7).
Cuba’s Leyanis Perez, the 2024 World Indoor runner-up, tore out to a world-leading 14.62 m (47-11 3/4) on her first attempt in the women’s triple jump, with prior world leader – and countrywoman – Liadagmis Povea settling into second at 14.17 m (46-6). Perez did not improve and Povea retired after three attempts, finishing an easy second.
There was a lot more, of course:
American star Erriyon Knighton, the 2023 Worlds 200 m runner-up, won the men’s 200 m in 20.54, his first 200 m race of 2025, no. 6 on the year list. Dominican Alexander Ogando was second in 20.70. Swede Erik Erlandsson won the B final in a faster time of 20.45.
Bryce Hoppel, the outdoor American Record holder in the 800 m, was a late entry in the men’s 800 here, and fell just short, with Belgium’s 2024 Worlds bronze winner Eliott Crestan taking over at the bell and crossing first in 1:44.81 to 1:44.98 for Hoppel. Algerian star Slimane Moula got third in 1:45.37.
In the separate men’s 1,500 m, France’s Azeddine Habz, the Euro Indoor bronzer in 2023, got a national record for his 3:32.24 en-route time in the Millrose mile last weekend, and almost beat it, winning a tight finish with Isaac Nader (POR), 3:32.29 to 3:32.59! It was a national record for Nader.
The men’s 3,000 m field was strong, including 2023 World 5,000 champ Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) and teammate Sam Tefera, the World Indoor 1,500 m winner in 2018 and 2022. But it turned out to be rising Dutch star Niels Laros – sixth in the Paris 1,500 m – who took the lead with four laps to go. He was never headed and moved to no. 4 on the 2025 world list in 7:29.49, just ahead of Ethiopia’s Paris 5,000 m sixth-placer, Biniam Mehary (7:29.99). Ethiopian Steeple star Getnet Wale was third in 7:31.39 and Tefera was well back in fourth in 7:31.86.
Turkey’s Ersu Sasma took control of the men’s vault by clearing 5.90 m (19-4 1/4) on his only try, after missing twice at 5.85 m (19-2 1/4). Two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S. cleared 5.85 m, but could do no better, and was second.
Ben Broeders (BEL) finished third at 5.80 m (19-0 1/4); American Chris Nilsen, the world leader, was fifth at 5.70 m (18-8 1/4) and Jacob Wooten tied for seventh at 5.60 m (18-4 1/2).
China’s Mingkun Zhang, seventh in Paris in 2024, took the lead in the second round of the men’s long jump and improved to 8.04 m (26-4 1/2) in the third round. He was matched in the final round by two-time Olympic gold medalist Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) at 8.04 m, but still won on a better second jump, 8.03 m (26-4 1/4) to 8.00 m (26-3. American Marquis Dendy finished fourth at 7.93 m (26-0 1/4).
Ethiopia’s reigning World Indoor Champion, Tsige Duguma, the world leader at 1:58.97, was in charge of the women’s 800 m from the gun, leading at 400 m in 57.68 and cruising home in 1:59.02 – just 0.05 off her world lead – and winning by daylight over South Africa’s Paris Olympic finalist Prudence Sekgodiso (1:59.88) and Britain’s 2024 Worlds Indoor silver winner Jemma Reekie (2:00.21).
Many of the athletes in today’s meet are off to run on Sunday in the World Indoor Tour Gold “Copernicus Cup” meet in Torun (POL).
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