Jakob Ingebrigtsen breaks first senior 1,500m world record

A first indoor race of the season for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, ending in his first senior world record, and another barrier broken to boot: is there anything the young Norwegian cannot do?

On the latest stop of the World Indoor Athletics Tour in Liévin in northern France, Ingebrigtsen lined up over 1,500 metres - the event he won at the Tokyo Olympics last summer aged only 20 - targeting the world indoor record of 3:31.04 set three years ago by the Ethiopian Samuel Tefera.

Tefera was also in the race to make sure Ingebrigtsen didn’t have it all his own way, only essentially, he did - passing the 1,000m mark in 2:20.19, he kicked away and home from the front to win in 3:30.60.

A second off his previous indoor best and European record of 3:31.80, set on the same track at the same stage last season, Ingebrigtsen left Tefera well in his wake, the Ethiopian second in 3:33.70. Having turned 21 last September, it’s a first senior world record for Ingebrigtsen, also now the first athlete ever to break 3:31 indoors. The 3:30 barrier might go by the end of the indoor season too.

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“Awesome to be back in Lievin, a really nice arena, and always a fast race,” Ingebrigtsen said, the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais is well regarded as one of the best on the circuit. Of his increasing pace towards the end, he added: “It’s nice for me to speed up at the finish, always a great feeling.”

After clocking his European indoor record of 3:31.80 here last year, Ingebrigtsen went on to enjoy the greatest season of his still burgeoning career, culminating with his Olympic 1,500m gold in a European record of 3:28.32.

It’s also dispelled any doubts about how his recent coaching set-up had changed; his father, Gert, is currently taking a break, with older brother Henrik taking on a more active role in the coaching. Tefera had also won here in 2019, then went on to break the world indoor record just six days later with 3:31.04.

Earlier, Italy's Olympic 100m champions Marcell Jacobs also won the event he took here last year, winning the 60m in 6.50 seconds.