Daniel Komen's 1500m record at risk as Jakob Ingebrigtsen heads to Paris Diamond League Meeting

ATHLETICS Daniel Komen's 1500m record at risk as Jakob Ingebrigtsen heads to Paris Diamond League Meeting

Abigael Wafula 16:28 - 30.05.2023

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei is the only athlete who has come closer to the record after clocking 8:07.54 to win at the 2019 Prefontaine Classic.

Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will attempt to break Daniel Komen’s two-mile world record when he sets foot on the track at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris on Friday, June 9.

Komen set the record of 7:58.61 in Hechtel, Belgium on July 19, 1997, and he is currently the only man to have run back-to-back sub-four-minute miles. 

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei is the only athlete who has come close to the record after clocking 8:07.54 to win at the 2019 Prefontaine Classic.

However, the Norwegian has set his eyes on the long-standing record after successfully opening the season at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco with a massive win over the 1500m race.

The reigning world 5000m champion has a clear objective and will be hoping to execute a good run to achieve it.

In the past, big names have tried to imitate and surpass Komen, like Haile Gebrselassie, Mo Farah, Cheptegei, or Eliud Kipchoge. Still, they, unfortunately, failed to reach the standard. However, Ingebrigtsen believes he has all it takes to take the challenge.

To help him in his quest, Ingebrigtsen can count on the wave light, which will be used for the very first time at the Charléty Stadium during the event.

The luminous device will allow athletes in endurance events to quickly adapt their pace thanks to LED lighting on the string inside the track. It will also be used for the 800 m, 3000 m steeplechase, and the 5000m.

First-rate pacers are also provided to support Ingebrigtsen and launch him on the hyper-fast bases he will need to carry out his mission.

Since February 2022, he has already had the world record for the 1500m indoors in his pocket, in 3:30.60. In Paris, Ingebrigtsen has only run once, and finished fourth in the 1500m in 2019. He hopes to add another record to his already decorated trophy-laden cabinet.

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