Two world records in one race just 16 seconds apart.
Norwegian running star Jakob Ingebrigtsen made efficient work scorching the track in Lievin, France, Thursday as he broke his own indoor 1500m world record and then held on for the final 100 meters to break American Yared Nuguse’s indoor mile record.
Ingebrigtsen — who ran 3:29.63 in the 1500m and 3:45.14 in the mile — claimed Nuguse’s mark just five days after the American made history in New York City when Nuguse became the first American to break an indoor or outdoor mile record since Dick Buerkle in 1978.
Ingebrigtsen exacted some revenge on Nuguse, who outkicked the Norwegian in the final 100 meters at the Olympics in the 1500m and left Ingebrigtsen without a medal in the event. Ingebrigtsen pulled off Thursday’s feat by running solo for the final 600 after he was paced through the 1000m mark in 2:20.49.
“It feels amazing,” Ingebrigtsen told reporters after the race. “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.”
🚨 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 𝗗𝗨 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗘 ! 🤩
3️⃣’4️⃣5️⃣”1️⃣4️⃣ SUR LE MILE
3️⃣’2️⃣9️⃣”6️⃣3️⃣ SUR LE 1500 M
🇳🇴 Jakob Ingebrigtsen fait chavirer le public de l’Arena Stade Couvert de Liévin dans un intense bonheur en s’emparant du record du monde du Mile en 3’45″14 💪 pic.twitter.com/uTDMf2yeaz
— FFAthlétisme (@FFAthletisme) February 13, 2025
Rather than face Nuguse and a star-studded Millrose Games field at The Armory in New York City on Saturday, Ingebrigtsen opted to race in Thursday’s Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF race, which was a glorified time trial. Fellow American Olympian Hobbs Kessler finished right behind Nuguse on Saturday.
Cole Hocker, who won Olympic gold in the 1500m in August, raced in the 3000m at The Armory on Saturday, where he was outkicked by fellow American Olympic medal winner Grant Fisher, who ran 7:22.91 to break the world record indoors.
In September, Josh Kerr — Ingebrigtsen’s arch rival — won the Fifth Avenue Mile with a time of 3:44.3. The time would have been the world record for road mile races, but the New York City course is not record eligible.
Once confirmed, Ingebrigtsen’s indoor mile time Thursday will sit as the tenth-fastest mile in history, just edging Kerr’s personal best of 3:45.34, which was set outdoors at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., last spring. Ingebrigtsen’s personal best mile time of 3:43.73 was also run at Hayward Field, set in 2023.
Internationally, Ingebrigtsen’s 1500m world indoor record will gather far more attention than his time in the rarely-competed mile. The 24-year-old set the previous indoor record time of 3:30.60 in Lievin in 2022.
Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco has held the overall world records in the 1500m and the mile since the late ’90s, running 3:26.00 in the 1500m and 1998 and 3:43.13 for the mile in 1999. Ingebrigtsen’s personal best of 3:26.73 in the outdoor 1500m makes him the fourth-fastest man in history at the distance.
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(Photo: Denis Charlet / AFP via Getty Images)
