Jakob Ingebrigtsen en route to his 3:56.29 mile victory in Oslo (© Jean Pierre Durand)
Running in his 2019 debut, double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke the world U20 indoor 1500m record*, clocking 3:36.21 at the Nordenkampen International Indoor Match in Baerum, Norway, on Sunday (10). The previous mark of 3:36.28 was set by Belal Mansoor Ali in 2007.
Ingebrigtsen, still 18, won the race by more than 10 seconds while clipping more than four seconds from his previous indoor best of 3:40.31 set last year.
Karsten Warholm continued his hot indoor 400m running, winning again in 45.65, the fourth fastest performance of the season. Swede Melker Svärd Jacobsson won the pole vault with a second attempt clearance at 5.82m. Pal Haugen Lillefosse of Norway was second at 5.56m.
In the long jump, Thobias Nilsson Montler of Sweden, the winner of the World Indoor Tour leg in Karlsruhe, took top honours with an 8.05m effort.
Norway's Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal won the 3000m in 8:44.68, while Swede Michaela Meijer won the pole vault at 4.75m, national indoor records for both.
*pending the usual ratification procedures
Holloway and Irwin fly to world leads in Fayetteville
A cluster of impressive performances highlighted the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational.
Pushed by a strong Texas A&M quartet, the University of Houston won the 4x400m in 3:01.51, faster than the ratified world indoor record set by Poland at last year's World Indoor Championships.
They led from the outset as Amere Lattin opened with a 46.33 split before handing over to Obi Igbokwe, who had won the individual 400m just 24 hours prior in a world-leading 45.35. Igbokwe produced a 44.94 split which was followed by a 45.80 effort from Jermaine Holt.
Texas A&M's 800m specialist Devin Dixon, who had clocked 45.68 in the individual 400m on Friday, applied pressure to the leaders with a stunning 44.25 anchor, but a closing effort of 44.46 from Kahmari Montgomery mean Houston maintained their lead, crossing the line in 3:01.51. Texas A&M finished in 3:01.56, also faster than the ratified world indoor record.
Two weeks after winning a close 60m race at the Texas Tech Classic where just a few thousandths separated the top three, Cravont Charleston enjoyed a slightly bigger winning margin in Clemson. He won the 60m in a PB of 6.54 from Mario Burke (6.58) with Anthony Schwartz equalling his PB of 6.59 in third.
Sprint hurdler Grant Holloway and pole vaulter Andrew Irwin produced world-leading marks on the first day of the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville on Friday (8).
Holloway continued his stunning form, following on from a series of remarkable performances in January which included a world-leading 6.51 for 60m, an 8.02m leap in the long jump and a pair of 7.49 clockings in the 60m hurdles.
Contesting his specialist event in Fayetteville, the University of Florida student won his 60m hurdles heat in 7.55 and then took 0.06 from his own world-leading mark to win the final by a significant margin in 7.43. His time was just 0.01 shy of the PB and collegiate record he set last year.
Andrew Irwin produced an outright lifetime best of 5.88m to win a high quality pole vault competition. He opened with a first-time clearance at 5.53m and followed it with vaults of 5.63 and 5.71m, clearing both on his second try. Chris Nilsen was the only other athlete to go clear at 5.71m. Both men skipped 5.76m and went straight to 5.81m.
Irwin got over it on his first attempt while Nilsen bowed out with three misses. Competition won, Irwin went on to clear 5.88m on his first try and rounded out his series with three unsuccessful tries at 5.92m.
Irwin, who represented the USA at the 2017 World Championships, now moves to eighth on the US indoor all-time list.
Chanel Brissett, who last year became the second-fastest U20 100m hurdler in history with 12.75, won the women’s 60m hurdles in a PB of 7.90, holding off Janeek Brown by 0.05. Meanwhile, Wil London posted the fastest time in the 400m with 45.93.
The first day of the David Hemery Valentine Invitational was highlighted by a handful of notable marks in the middle-distance events.
USA’s 2016 world indoor finalist Laura Roesler set an indoor 800m PB of 1:59.80 to win what was her first race at her specialist distance this year.
Jenna Westaway set a Canadian indoor record of 2:37.04 to win the 1000m with compatriot Madeleine Kelly also finishing inside the 16-year-old record with 2:37.79 in second place.
Sean McGorty won the men’s 5000m in 13:21.35 from Britain’s Marc Scott (13:21.97). In third, Japan’s Hyuga Endo clocked a national indoor record of 13:27.81.
Elsewhere in the States, Sondre Guttormsen vaulted a Norwegian indoor record of 5.73m at the Don Kirby Collegiate Invitational.
Zango jumps 17.09m in Liévin
African triple jump record holder Hugues Fabrice Zango's 17.09m leap was among the key highlights at the Hauts-de-France Pas de Calais meeting in Liévin, France, on Sunday (10).
Competing before a sell-out crowd of 5500 at the Arena Stade Couvert, Zango produced his winning effort in the final round to remain unbeaten this season, defeating Simo Lipsanen, whose 16.98m effort in round three broke the Finnish national record.
In the pole vault Sam Kendricks beat Piotr Lisek on countback at 5.71m to secure his fifth victory in six outings this winter. On the women's side, Katie Nageotte won for the fourth time in six competitions this season, topping 4.62m.
The meeting featured a full slate of solid middle distance performances.
World indoor champion Samuel Tefera, who clocked a world-leading 3:35.57 at the World Indoor Tour stop in Torun on Wednesday, produced another convincing 1500m victory clocking 3:36.72, exactly three seconds clear of Kenyan Cornelius Tuwei.
Habitam Alemu, who took a narrow 800m victory over Laura Muir in Torun, had an easier time here, clocking 1:59.99, more than two seconds ahead of Kenyan Nelly Jepkosgei, who clocked 2:02.03.
Genzebe Dibaba won the rarely-run 1000m in 2:37.40, well outside of her 2:33.06 national indoor record set in Madrid two years ago. In a relatively close race, Winnie Nanyondo was second in 2:37.80, a Ugandan national indoor record. Bahrain's Birhanu Balew won the 2000m in 5:00.34, an Asian indoor record.
On the straight, Marie-Josee Ta Lou, the 2017 world silver medallist at 100 and 200m, was a dominating winner in the 60m, clocking 7.15.
Pascal Martinot Lagarde, a two-time world indoor silver medallist, won the 60m hurdles in 7.57. Elvira Herman, the European outdoor champion, won the women's race in 8.00.
Lasitskene and Tobe win in Banska Bystrica
Mariya Lasitskene successfully defended her title at the Banska Bystrica high jump meeting in Slovakia on Saturday (9), topping 2.00.
Lasitskene, the world leader at 2.04m, secured the victory with a first attempt clearance at 1.97m before topping 2.00m on third attempt. She then bowed out with three tries at a would-be meeting record of 2.06m.
Alessia Trost of Italy was second at 1.94m equalling her season's best. Her compatriot Elena Vallortigara, Swede Sofie Skoog, Czech Michaela Hruba and Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine topped 1.90 to tie for third.
World leader Naoto Tobe dominated the men's competition, topping 2.33m. The 26-year-old improved the Japanese national record to 2.35 in Karlsruhe on 2 February.
Mexico's Edgar Rivera and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy cleared 2.27m to finish in a tie for second.
The event in the central Slovakian city celebrated its 25th edition.
Bradshaw clears 4.80m in Birmingham
Holly Bradshaw cleared 4.80m on Saturday to highlight the two-day British Championships (9-10) in Birmingham.
The effort, which equalled the third highest of her career, was Bradshaw's highest indoor leap since she jumped her 4.87m national indoor record in 2012.
Other day one highlights included Laura Muir's dominant 3000m victory in 8:48.03 and Asha Philip's narrow 60m in 7.19, 0.01 ahead of Rachel Miller. The victory marked the 10th national title for Philip.
Key performances on day two were turned in by Cameron Chalmers, who took the 400m title with a 46.26 lifetime best.
Morgan Lake won the high jump at 1.94m and bowed out with three tries at 1.99m, a would-be national record, and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who won the world indoor pentathlon title on this track last year, won the long jump with 6.46m. on Saturday, Johnson-Thompson finished second in the 60m hurdles in 8.27, behind Cindi Ofili who won in 8.16m.
Barnes dashes 6.55 in Metz
Emre Zafer Barnes equalled his own Turkish national record in the 60m with a 6.55 victory in Metz on Sunday (10).
The 30-year-old edged Mike Rodgers of the USA and Jamaican Everton Clarke, who clocked 6.60 and 6.65, respectively.
Jarret Eaton from the USA followed up his victory on Friday in Madrid with another triumph here, edging Frenchman Wilhem Belocian by 0.01 in 7.60.
Stewart McSweyn of Australia won the 3000m in 7:44.90, an indoor personal best for the 23-year-old.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
