Report: Meeting Liévin Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais
The World Indoor Tour Gold in Liévin delivered an electrifying night of athletics, featuring record-breaking performances, thrilling finishes, and world-class competition. Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen stole the show by setting a new world indoor mile record, reaffirming his dominance in middle-distance running. Alongside Ingebrigtsen's historic achievement, several other athletes put on stellar displays across multiple disciplines, highlighting the depth of talent on display in Liévin.
Ingebrigtsen Smashes Indoor Mile Record
Olympic 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen clocked 3:45.14 in his first-ever indoor mile race, breaking the previous world record of 3:46.63 set by USA’s Yared Nuguse just five days earlier at the Millrose Games in New York. Ingebrigtsen passed the 1000m mark in 2:20.49 and the 1500m checkpoint in 3:29.63—nearly a second faster than his 2022 mark on the same Liévin track. With a strong finish in the last 200 meters, the Norwegian sensation secured his place in history.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen: “It feels amazing. This is what happens in Liévin. I’m a very happy man. You have to be focused for the whole race. It’s tough, but it’s worth it.”
Stefan Nillesen from the Netherlands finished second, setting a Dutch indoor record of 3:52.70, while Cathal Doyle secured third place in 3:53.18.
Men’s 60m Hurdles
Olympic and world champion Grant Holloway continued his Liévin dominance, winning the men’s 60m hurdles for the fifth consecutive time with a world-leading 7.36 after running 7.44 in the heats.
Grant Holloway: “The main goal today was to translate my good form into a nice performance, and I think I did that. My opponents are getting faster, so I need to keep challenging myself and my team. The World Indoor Championships are a major goal for me, but first, I need to make the USA team next week.”
Wilhelm Belocian improved his personal best to 7.46, securing second place, while Enrique Llopis from Spain finished third in 7.53.
Women’s 60m Hurdles
Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent claimed victory in the women’s 60m hurdles, setting a world-leading time of 7.75. Grace Stark of the USA finished second in 7.82, followed by France’s Laeticia Bapté in 7.85.
Ackera Nugent: “I am really happy to produce this time at my third meet of the season. I took another nice step today in building confidence and gradually improving. The professional tour is a lot different from college, but I’m embracing the challenge.”
Women’s 3000m
World indoor 1500m record holder Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia dominated the women’s 3000m, clocking a world-leading 8:19.98 to secure her second World Indoor Tour Gold win of the season. Gudaf Tsegay finished second in 8:25.12, while Birke Haylom placed third in 8:25.37. Italy’s Nadia Battocletti broke her own national indoor record with 8:30.82.
Freweyni Hailu: “Opening my season with a world lead last week and going even faster today is the perfect start. I executed my plan perfectly, following Tsegay until just before the finish and out-kicking her.”
Women’s 1500m
Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji, the world silver medalist in Budapest 2023, won the women’s 1500m with a world-leading 3:58.99. Compatriots Habitam Alemu (4:03.96) and Worknesh Mesele (4:05.86) rounded out the top three.
Diribe Welteji: “I didn’t do everything perfectly, but I can be satisfied with this performance in my first race of the season. I executed my race plan well and started fast, but my legs were in a lot of pain by the end.”
Men’s 3000m
Niels Laros delivered a stunning performance in the men’s 3000m, setting a Dutch national record of 7:29.49. Ethiopia’s Biniam Mehary dipped under the 7:30 barrier with 7:29.99 for second place, while Olympic finalist Getnet Wale took third in 7:31.49.
Niels Laros: “It’s nice to have such a strong season opener and National Record. The plan was to mix myself in the battle and see where it would take me. I felt good and knew I could take the lead.”
Men’s 1500m
Azzedine Habz of France continued his strong form by winning the men’s 1500m in 3:32.29. Portugal’s Isaac Nader set a national record of 3:32.59 to finish second, while Belgium’s Ruben Verheyden placed third in 3:36.09.
Men’s Shot Put
Leonardo Fabbri claimed victory in the men’s shot put with a season-best throw of 21.95m, continuing his dominance in the event.
Women’s Pole Vault
Two-time world outdoor champion Katie Moon cleared 4.83m to take her second consecutive World Indoor Tour Gold win of the season. Molly Caudery matched her season-best of 4.75m for second, while Tina Sutej placed third with 4.65m.
Katie Moon: “I’m happy with the world lead. I feel close to clearing 5m, but everything has to align perfectly. My main goal this year is the World Championships in Tokyo.”
Other Notable Results:
- Men’s Pole Vault: Ersu Sasma won with a national record of 5.90m.
- Men’s 800m: Elliot Crestan defended his title with a 1:44.81 win.
- Women’s 800m: Tsige Duguma took victory in 1:59.02.
- Women’s 400m: Lieke Klaver set a world lead of 50.76.
- Men’s 200m: Erik Erlandsson won in 20.45.
- Women’s Triple Jump: Leyanis Perez Hernandez leapt to a world lead of 14.62m.
- Men’s Long Jump: Mingkun Zhang won with 8.04m, edging out Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou.
