The world indoor 3000m record of 7:23.81, set by Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event on February 15th, has been officially ratified.
Men’s world indoor 3000m record
7:23.81 Lamecha Girma (ETH) Lievin, 15 February 2023
Girma’s impressive performance took place in Lievin, France, where he engaged in an exhilarating race against Spain’s Mohamed Katir. Both athletes surpassed the previous world record of 7:24.90, set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen in Budapest on February 6th, 1998. Katir finished second with a time of 7:24.68, setting a new European record in the process.
Girma, who had previously claimed silver medals in the world 3000m steeplechase in Doha and Oregon, as well as Olympic silver in Tokyo and world indoor 3000m silver in Belgrade, has since made history in the 3000m steeplechase as well.
In a remarkable performance last week in Paris, he clocked a time of 7:52.11* to set a world record, further solidifying his position as a formidable athlete.
During the race in Lievin, the pace was set by the leaders, who reached the 1000m mark in 2:28.49, perfectly on track for a record-breaking attempt. Girma took charge as he passed the 2000m mark with a time of 4:58.38, and he continued to push forward, ultimately crossing the finish line in an astonishing time of 7:23.81. This accomplishment shaved more than a second off Komen’s 25-year-old record.
Girma’s triumph in Lievin marked his fourth appearance at the event. In 2020, he narrowly missed a top-three finish. In 2021, he recorded a time of 7:27.98, which stands as one of the fastest times in history but left him trailing behind his fellow Ethiopians, Getnet Wale and Selemon Barega.
Girma finally claimed victory in 2022, although he fell short of his personal best by a couple of seconds.
