2022 Lievin Recap: Jacobs & Holloway Keep Rolling, Seyaum & Girma Win Fast 3K’s

By LetsRun.com
February 17, 2022

The Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais (aka Lievin) is establishing itself as the premier indoor meet in the world and a year after Gudaf Tsegay crushed the women’s world record in the 1500m, Jakob Ingebrigtsen got the men’s 1500m world record to go with his Olympic gold.

We recap all the distance action below, where Mariano Garcia and Natoya Goule kept winning at 800 and Dawit Seyaum showed she’s returning to form with an 8:23 3000m. Tsegay was expected to target the women’s world record in the mile, but she fell in the first 100m, though that didn’t stop her from getting an impressive win.

In the sprints, Olympic 100m champ Marcell Jacobs continued his winning ways (video here) by running 6.50 in the 60m to stay perfect in 2022 as Grant Holloway got a world leader (7.35) in the 60m hurdles.

Lazaro Martinez of Cuba got a world leader in the triple jump (17.21m), as did Anzhelika Sidorova in the pole vault (4.85m).

Distance recaps below. Ingebrigtsen’s world record gets its own article at this link.

*Full results

Women’s 3000: Seyaum moves to #3 all-time

The first distance race of the night started things off right as Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum won the women’s 3000 in 8:23.24 to move to #3 on the world all-time list, behind only Genzebe Dibaba’s 8:16.60 world record from 2014 and Gudaf Tsegay’s 8:22.65 from last year. Countrywoman Ejgayehu Taye, the pre-race favorite and last year’s Olympic 5th-placer in the 5000, was second in 8:26.77, just off her pb of 8:25.27. That means the six fastest women in world history in this event all hail from Ethiopia (Taye is #6).

Results

Rank Result Name
8:23.24WL
 S. DAWIT
8:26.77
 E. TAYE
8:38.15
 F. WORKU
4 8:41.92
 B. CHEBET
5 8:44.43
 W. GETACHEW
6 8:44.61PB
 H. KLEIN
7 8:47.27
 Z. WONDEMAGEGN
8 8:51.04
 A. DAGNACHEW
9 8:57.77
 S. TEFERI
10 9:10.73
 S. BENFARES
11 9:19.48
 E. CHEPKEMOI

Quick Take: Dawit Seyaum has re-entered the conversation

Longtime followers of the sport might remember Seyaum as she’s been around for a while. She ran 3:58 at age 17 and won the 1500 at World Juniors in Eugene in 2014 (she’s the reason Mary Cain ran the 3000 at that meet) and followed that up by finishing 4th in the 1500 at the 2015 Worlds and 2nd at 2016 World Indoors. But she hasn’t raced at a global outdoor champs since ‘16 and has raced sparingly over the last few years until re-emerging on the roads last fall with a 14:39 5k in Lille and a 67:52 half marathon in Bahrain. Today was just her second track race, indoors or out, since February 2020. And though it seems hard to believe, Seyaum is still only 25 years old. 

Until now, all the fast 3ks this year had been in the US (Alicia Monson was the previous world leader at 8:31.62), but the performances by Seyaum and Taye sent a message that they’re fit right now as well and will be forces to reckon with should they make it to World Indoors.

Men’s 3000: Girma wins a tight one

The men’s 3000 faced a tall task in topping last year’s race, which was the greatest indoor 3000 in history as a quartet of young Ethiopians ran super fast. Last year, Getnet Wale just missed the world record (7:24.98), and the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, and 11th fastest times in history (at the time) were put up as Selemon Barega ran 7:26.10, Lamecha Girma 7:27.98, and Berihu Aregawi 7:29.24. The current ages of those runners are just 21, 22, 21, and 20.

The top three finishers were back for an encore in 2022 and by 2000 (5:02.28) it was clear there was not going to be a world record – the question was who was going to get the win. Barega, the Olympic 10,000 champion, did his best to try to imitate Mo Farah in his prime by controlling the race from the front. He had the lead at the bell with Wale in second and Girma third. Girma moved into the second heading into the final 100 but was unable to take the lead as Barega held him off. Barega held Girma off until the final 15 meters when he tired up a bit and Girma, the silver medallist in the steeple at the last two global championships, got the win in 7:30.54 to Barega’s 7:30.66 with Wale third in 7:31.77.

Results

Rank Result Name
7:30.54
 L. GIRMA
7:30.66
 S. BAREGA
7:30.88
 G. WALE
4 7:31.77PB
 B. BALEW
5 7:34.31NR
 A. ALMGREN
6 7:34.67PB
 J. KROP
7 7:36.62
 M. KATIR
8 7:38.79
 M. GIRMA
9 7:42.95PB
 E. BIBIC
10 7:43.31
 N. KIMELI
11 7:43.61
 M. MOHUMED
12 7:43.88PB
 H. HAY
13 7:53.22
 N. MELAK
DNF
 M. AZEZE
DNF
 A. GERVAIS
DNF
 H. TEKLU

Quick Take: Geordie Beamish and Millrose fans, did you watch the close of this race?

After the Millrose Games were over and Kiwi Geordie Beamish closed in 25.71 to get the win in the men’s 3000, we started to wonder if it was possible for him to get a medal at Worlds. 25.71 is certainly very good for a close.

But that was a 7:39 race.

Article continues below player.

Tonight, the last lap leader to leader was 26.26, but Girma went from third to first. We timed him unofficially in 25.80. And unlike Beamish, he went wide on the final turn and made a pass on the outside, not the inside.

MB: OAC and Geordie Beamish fans, did you watch that 3000 in Lievin? 25.8 final 200 in 7:30 race

Men’s 800: Garcia stays hot

Garcia won his second World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet of the year

Global running fans learned the name Mariano Garcia after he ran a Spanish record of 1:45.12 two weeks ago to upset Bryce Hoppel at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. But it may be time to stop classifying Garcia victories as upsets as he is quickly becoming one of the hottest runners on the planet. After squeezing past 17-year-old Kenyan Noah Kibet on the inside at the bell to take the lead, Garcia and Brit Elliot Giles, the second-fastest man in history indoors (1:43.63) separated from the rest of the field over the final 100 meters. But Garcia had the lead and had the most left for the final straight as well, pulling away to win in 1:46.29 and earn his second straight in on the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold.

Results

Rank Result Name
1:46.29
 M. GARCIA
1:46.50SB
 E. GILES
1:47.61
 A. KRAMER
4 1:47.75
 E. CRESTAN
5 1:47.98
 N. KIBET
6 1:48.06
 A. KSZCZOT
7 1:48.11
 T. VAN DIEPEN
8 1:48.16
 G. TUAL
9 1:49.08
 C. KIPRUTO
DNF
 R. SEVERIN

Women’s 800: Goule gets the best of Nakaayi as both women run 1:58

Goule expertly blocked off lane 1

Today’s women’s 800 was billed as a battle between the two fastest women of 2022 and it lived up to the hype as Natoya Goule and Halimah Nakaayi went 1-2 in a close battle to the finish line, both women running indoor pbs as they remained #1 and #2 in the world this year.

After some nice, fast pacemaking (57.46 at 400), Goule assumed the lead at 500 meters and by the start of the final lap, Nakaayi was the only woman still with her. Nakaayi, known for her close, closed in on the front-runner Goule as they hit the final turn and looked poised to pass as they hit the final straight. But Nakaayi went for the inside gap, one that Goule, running on the outside of lane 1, immediately closed off before Nakaayi could get through. It looked like there was contact with both women staying on their feet but Nakaayi completely lost her momentum before adjusting and trying to pass on the outside. That lost momentum was enough to cost her the win, however, as Goule held on to win in 1:58.46, Nakaayi just behind in 1:58.58.

Results

Rank Result Name
1:58.46WL
 N. GOULE
1:58.58PB
 H. NAKAAYI
2:00.26PB
 E. NALYANYA
4 2:01.52
 A. CICHOCKA
5 2:01.89PB
 F. HAILU
6 2:02.20
 G. TIGEST
7 2:02.82
 H. HYNNE
8 2:03.18
 C. ANAIS
9 2:04.52
 N. YARIGO
DNF
 N. KORIR

Quick Take: That was some smart running by Goule

Many times, you’ll see the leading athlete drift to the outside coming off the turn, a natural instinct since your top rival will usually be trying to pass on your right, not the left. But Goule showed terrific awareness tonight and ran a very smart final 100. She knew that Nakaayi was the only woman close to her and that Nakaayi would try to pass on the inside. So before Nakaayi could get there, she Goule moved from the outside of lane 1 to the inside, leaving Nakaayi nowhere to go. Nakaayi tried for the inside pass anyway but wound up running into Goule and having to try again on the outside after getting bumped. By that point, she had run out of time and had to settle for second place.

Quick Take: The times were quick here

1:58 isn’t crazy fast outdoors, but indoors it’s a very good run – only two women have broken 1:58 in the last 10 years. Goule and Nakaayi both set national indoor records, and Nakaayi’s time now makes her the fifth-fastest African woman ever indoors, one spot behind two-time World Indoor champ Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi (1:58.31).

Women’s mile: Tsegay’s WR attempt ruined after fall in first 100m

Tsegay was devastated despite the victory

Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay came into tonight’s meet hoping to add the indoor mile world record to the indoor 1500 world record she claimed in Lievin a year ago. But her hopes of a record were shattered within the first 100 meters as Tsegay, running in second place on the outside of lane one, was clipped from behind and hit the track hard.

Remarkably, Tsegay, who was in last by the time she picked herself up, moved back up to second behind the pacer by 409 meters (64), but the effort cost her as she could not bridge the gap to the pacemaker. Tsegay wound up hitting 809 in 2:08 (she likes to positive-split and had been targeting 2:04), and though she would be passed by Axumawit Embaye, the winner in Karlsruhe earlier this season, with two laps to go, Tsegay would pass her right back at 1200 meters and pull away to win over the final lap in 4:21.72.

The world record was clearly still on her mind however, as a frustrated Tsegay declined to celebrate the victory in any way, instead sitting on the track with a frustrated scowl before covering her face with her hands. Given the circumstances, who could blame her?

Rank Result Name
4:21.72MR
 G. TSEGAY
4:25.30
 A. EMBAYE
4:27.19
 H. MESHESHA
4 4:27.22
 N. DESTA
5 4:28.54NR
 E. GUERRERO
6 4:28.73
 E. JEBITOK
7 4:29.64NR
 S. KUIVISTO
8 4:30.11
 W. NANYONDO
9 4:30.65WU20L
 W. TESFAY
10 4:32.88
 A. FLEURY
11 4:33.50
 K. TIGIST
12 4:33.84
 G. APRILE
13 4:35.47
 H. HERMANSSON
DNF
 A. LEMIESZ

Quick Take: Tsegay also revealed that she had an issue with her hamstring but still believes she is super fit right now

“I’m not happy with my race even if I beat the [meet record] because I’m really in shape now and my target was to break the WR,” Tsegay told meet organizers. “At the start, I had a problem with my hamstring and I was behind the lights. Without this pain, I would have probably beaten the world record. As I said, I’m in really good shape now but today wasn’t the day.”

Men’s 2000: Abel Kipsang goes for it but is painfully run down

Kipsang’s lead was this big approaching the bell
Kipsang’s lead was this big approaching the bell

The final event of the night was the men’s 2000 meters, and though a number of men were willing to follow the pacer early, Olympic 1500 4th placer Abel Kipsang of Kenya was the only man to keep it up once the pacer dropped out at 1k (2:25.65). For a while, it looked as if Kipsang would cruise to victory and perhaps the Kenyan record of 4:55.72, but he would wind up with neither as he began to slow on the penultimate lap (31.23). Kipsang still had a massive three-second lead at that point, but he was totally out of gas and would cover his final 200 in just 31.5 as Ethiopia’s Samuel Zeleke, a 3:32 1500 performer outdoors, would run him down for the win in 4:57.00. Kipsang barely held on for second in 4:57.21, just ahead of France’s Azeddine Habz (4:57.22).

Rank Result Name
4:57.00
 S. ZELEKE
4:57.21
 A. KIPSANG
4:57.22
 A. HABZ
4 4:57.97
 J. GRESSIER
5 4:59.93
 M. THORWIRTH
6 5:00.51
 H. AKANKAM
7 5:00.73
 I. SZOGI
8 5:01.19
 S. DENISSEL
9 5:02.02
 I. DEBJANI
10 5:03.52
 H. TEGEGN
11 5:03.92
 T. BODENA
12 5:04.10
 M. FOPPEN
13 5:04.89
 R. VERHEYDEN
14 5:08.30
 A. SIME
DNF
 B. KIPRUGUT
DNF
 G. KISS

Quick Take: This was fun to watch, but a strange way to end the meet

The race ended up being very entertaining – it’s not often you see someone blow a three-second lead at the bell – but we’re puzzled why the organizers chose to make this the final event of the night. No one cares about the 2000m to begin with, and all of the running events had more star power than this one (though there were a number of Frenchmen in the race). It would have been far more dramatic to end the meet with Ingebrigtsen’s 1500m world record attempt. But given the great job Lievin did attracting stars to this meet, we can’t complain too much as this was the highest quality meet of the season outside of World Indoors.

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