Genzebe Dibaba breaks world indoor mile record in Stockholm
Genzebe Dibaba smashed the world indoor mile record in Stockholm on Wednesday evening, clocking 4:13.31 at the Globen Galan IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting.
The previous record had been 4:17.14, run by Doina Melinte in 1990.
After passing 1000m in around 2:37.5 having been paced by world 800m leader Joanna Jozwik, Dibaba went on to clock 3:56.27 for 1500m. After another 109 metres the Ethiopian world 1500m champion crossed the line in 4:13.31. Teenager Gudaf Tsegay was second in 4:24.98, while Britain's Hannah England clocked 4:31.53 for eighth.
It is the third world record Dibaba has run on the Stockholm track after she broke the 3000m and 5000m world marks in her last two appearances at the event. The 25-year-old also has the world indoor and outdoor records for 1500m to her name, as well as the world indoor best for two miles.
"I know this track well, and it is very good for me," Dibaba said, quoted by the IAAF. "The only thing that was difficult was the conditions in the arena – it felt very cold."
Dibaba's was the third world record or best clocked by athletes coached by Jama Aden at the Ericsson Globe Arena on Wednesday. Prior to that mile record-breaking performance, Ayanleh Souleiman had improved the world record mark for the indoor 1000m, while Abdalelah Haroun clocked a world indoor best for 500m.
You can read a recent interview with Aden, in which he gives great insight into Dibaba's training, here.
World indoor 1500m champion Souleiman succeeded in the first of the three billed world record attempts as he clocked 2:14.20 to break Wilson Kipketer's 1000m mark of 2:14.96 run in 2000. Paced by Bram Som, 400m was passed in 52.08 and 600m in 1:19.44 before Souleiman went through 800m in 1:46.97.
Behind him, Thijmen Kupers of Netherlands clocked 2:17.02 for the runner-up spot, while Britain's Dale Clutterbuck ran 2:20.84 in eighth.
A short while later, Haroun took to the track to run 59.83 for 500m, becoming the first to dip under a minute for the distance indoors and better Brycen Spratling's 1:00.09 set last year.
In other track action, 2003 world 100m champion Kim Collins won the 60m in 6.56 from Mike Rodgers with 6.58 as Britain's Josh Swaray clocked 6.75 in sixth, while Jeneba Tarmoh claimed 200m victory in 23.38 from Michelle-Lee Ahye with 23.39.
Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Abdalaati Iguider won the 3000m from world junior 5000m champion Yomif Kejelcha, a world-leading 7:39.04 to 7:39.11, while world silver medallist Adam Kszczot ran a world-leading 1:45.63 ahead of Musaeb Balla and Mohammed Aman in the 800m.
Sweden's Lisa Gunnarsson improved her world youth pole vault best to 4.49m but winning the competition was Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou who improved her Greek record to 4.81m. Canada's Tim Nedow secured his overall World Indoor Tour victory with a 21.33m PB and meeting record shot put win.
The women's long jump was won by Estonia's Ksenija Balta with 6.76m ahead of British duo Lorraine Ugen with 6.71m and Shara Proctor with 6.57m, while Sweden's Andreas Otterling won the men's event with a PB of 8.12m. Ruth Beitia won the high jump with a clearance of 1.95m.
Dutch sprinter Lisanne De Witte claimed the 400m in 53.21 from world 400m hurdles champion Zuzana Hejnova with 53.51. Ireland's Mark English won the first of the evening's two 500m races in 1:00.93 ahead of USA's Erik Sowinski with 1:01.72.
There was a Kenyan one-two in the men's 800m B race as Nicholas Kipkoech pipped Jackson Kivuva, 1:46.93 to 1:47.63. Britain's Mukhtar Mohammed clocked 1:48.41 for fourth.
Over at the Athlone International, Dawit Wolde ran an Ethiopian indoor mile record of 3:54.02, while world silver medallist Melissa Bishop clocked a Canadian indoor 800m record of 2:00.60 after a solo run. Britain's Adelle Tracey ran 2:02.34 in second. British athletes filled the top four spots in the men's 800m as Michael Rimmer won a close race in 1:48.13 from Guy Learmonth with 1:48.20, Jamie Webb with 1:48.30 and James Bowness with 1:48.77.
Nancy Chepkwemoi won the 1500m in 4:08.46 as Ireland's Rose-Anne Galligan ran a 4:11.07 PB to finish third ahead of Britain's Alison Leonard with 4:11.28.
USA's Barbara Pierre won the 60m in 7.12, while D'Angelo Cherry took the men's race in 6.58 as Britain's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey ran 6.67 for fourth. World indoor champion Pavel Maslak ran 46.07 to go quickest in the 400m races, as Bahamas' Chris Brown clocked 46.96 to win his race.
Canada's world champion Shawn Barber won the pole vault, clearing 5.77m to beat Sam Kendricks with 5.71m. Britain's Max Eaves and Adam Hague both cleared 5.45m for third and fourth respectively.
