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| Genzebe Dibaba |
Record-breaking runs and world-leading marks at XL Galan as impressive
performance from Eilish McColgan boosts her to eighth on UK indoor 3000m
all-time list
Six world-leading marks were set at
the XL Galan in Stockholm on Thursday night, with Abeba Aregawi, Galen
Rupp and Genzebe Dibaba impressing in the middle distance races.
Former Ethiopian Aregawi registered
her first victory as a Swedish citizen in the women’s 1500m. Crossing
the line in 3:58.40, Aregawi was just 0.12 shy of the world indoor
record, but her time was enough to see her second on the world indoor
all-time list, as well as breaking both the indoor and outdoor Swedish
records.
Rupp’s run in the 3000m saw him become
the fastest-ever non-African indoors. The Olympic silver medallist
(pictured above) broke the American record with a world-lead time of
7:30.16, with the result helping him end his indoor season on a high as
world leader in both the mile and 3000m.
The women’s 3000m was an equally
exciting affair, with Dibaba missing the world indoor record by just
three seconds with her PB 8:26.5, another world-leading time.
That race witnessed the performance of
the night from a British perspective too, as Eilish McColgan stormed to
eighth on the UK indoor 3000m all-time list with a 8:49.13 PB that
ranks her No.2 in Europe.
Clearly happy with the result, she tweeted after the race, saying: “2nd behind Dibaba (albeit by 26secs!!!) but a new PB… yaaaaay! #stockholmGP.”
Later she added: “Dibaba’s 8.26 is crazy… I’m just glad I didn’t get lapped!”
The result also encouraged others to
comment on the social media site after the race, but to voice their
disappointment that despite such an impressive performance the Scot
won’t be going to Gothenburg.
“GB’s @EilishMccolgan now ranks No.2 in Europe, but won’t be going to the European Indoors. #travesty,” tweeted Jon Mulkeen, while Olympic 400m medallist and former world number one Katharine Merry added “big shame”.
Other world-leading marks came from
Mohammed Aman, who broke his own Ethiopian record with 1:45.05 in the
men’s 800m, Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman, who claimed 1000m victory with
2:17.05, and in the women’s pole vault where Olympic silver medallist
Yarisley Silva broke her own Cuban record to win with 4.78m, bettering
the previous world-leading mark held by Britain’s Holly Bleasdale.
Bleasdale was a long way off her season’s best with her clearance of 4.45m placing her fourth, but speaking afterwards on twitter she remained upbeat.
“Felt really good tonight… Run up was
the best ever just unfortunate things didn’t go quite to plan on my
longer poles,” she said, adding: “Looking forward to Europeans now! :))
get my run-up in and I will be flying :) #patienceisavurtue.”
Elsewhere, fellow Brits were also in
action in Stockholm, with Andrew Osagie crossing the line third in a
time of 2:18.78 in a competitive 1000m. Michael Rimmer finished fifth in
2:19.20, while Mukhtar Mohammed was seventh in 2:21.13.
There were second place finishes from
Richard Strachan in the 400m and Guy Learmonth in the B 800m. Despite
recording a season’s best 7.88m, Chris Tomlinson had to settle for sixth
in the long jump, while Gianni Frankis was fifth in the 60m hurdles
with a time of 7.87.
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