Keely Hodgkinson (1:57) & Gudaf Tsegay (4:16) Rip Fast Times in Torun

By Jonathan Gault
February 8, 2023

The 2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold made its fourth stop of 2023 today in the Polish city of Torun for the Orlen Copernicus Cup. World 5,000 champ Gudaf Tsegay and Olympic/World 800 silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson were the headliners and both got world-leading wins as Tsegay ran the second-fastest indoor mile ever by a woman (4:16.16) while Hodgkinson came from behind to defeat the surprising Noelie Yarigo in winning the 800 in 1:57.85. 

The women’s 3000m was also loaded with talent but in the end it was a rookie – Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu, making her 3000m debut – who took the victory in 8:46.92 after splitting 59.8 for her final 400. 

Recap & analysis of the distance events below.

Go here for full results. Go here for a World Athletics recap of the other events including field events.

Women’s 800: Hodgkinson has to work for it

This race was billed as a battle between World silver medalist Hodgkinson and Commonwealth/Diamond League champion Mary Moraa, but that matchup never truly materialized as Moraa, running her first-ever indoor race, could not hang with the quick pace and finished an uncompetitive 4th in 2:01.51.

Instead, Hodgkinson’s chief competition came from 37-year-old Noelie Yarigo of Benin. Yarigo opened her 2023 season by running a world-leading 1:59.29 on Sunday in Val-de-Reuil – her fastest time, indoors or out, since 2016 – and went out hard today, just behind the pacer (57.09 at 800). Hodgkinson was 10 meters back at that point but slowly reeled Yarigo in before taking the lead on the backstraight of the bell lap. Yarigo fought bravely and while she couldn’t match Hodgkinson’s 1:57.87, she wound up second in a huge pb of 1:58.48.

Results

Pos Order / Lane Bib Athlete Date Of Birth Club/Country Mark Rank
1 7 / 5 37 WA HODGKINSON Keely 02-03-03 GREAT BRITAIN 1:57.87 WL MR 1
2 8 / 6 4 WA YARIGO Noelie 85-12-26 BENIN 1:58.48 PB 2
3 4 / 3 119 WA HORVAT Anita 96-09-07 SLOVENIA 2:01.42 3
4 6 / 4 50 WA MORAA Mary 00-06-15 KENYA 2:01.51 4
5 2 / 2 123 WA NAKAAYI Halimah 94-10-16 UGANDA 2:01.64 5
6 3 / 2 103 WA KOCZANOWA Margarita 99-02-01 POLAND 2:02.36 PB 6
7 5 / 3 73 WA SARNA Angelika 97-10-01 POLAND 2:02.74 PB L 7
8 1 / 1 84 WA WIŚNIEWSKA Aleksandra 04-09-29 POLAND 2:09.84 8
9 / 6 109 WA LEMIESZ Aneta 81-01-17 POLAND DNF

Quick Take: A solid run for Hodgkinson

Given what she’s accomplished the past two years, the bar is high for Hodgkinson. Today’s run was fast – anything under 1:58 indoors is moving – but not unexpected given Hodgkinson ran 1:57.20 in her opener last year and was coming off a 1:23.41 world indoor best in the 600 two weeks ago. 

Afterwards on the race broadcast, Hodgkinson’s coach Jenny Meadows said she believes Hodgkinson can run faster.

“I think she’ll be quite disappointed with that,” Meadows said. “She’s in way better shape than that. But come on, it’s still one of the fastest times in the world, ever!”

Quick Take: Noelie Yarigo crushes her pb at age 37

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Yarigo couldn’t believe her time

A few years ago, Yarigo began pacing Diamond League races – which is not uncommon for aging athletes who are becoming less competitive in their primary events. But what has happened since then is uncommon: Yarigo got faster in the 800. Last summer, Yarigo made the semis at Worlds, then ran 1:59.75 in August in Rovereto, her first sub-2:00 in more than five years.

This year, Yarigo has been even better. Her 1:59.29 last week was the second-fastest time of her life, and her 1:58.48 today crushed her 2016 pb of 1:59.12. It’s almost unheard-of for a veteran athlete at Yarigo’s age (37) to improve so much in the 800 meters. We’d love to know what changed for her.

Women’s mile: Tsegay runs #2 indoor time ever

Ethiopia’s world 5,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay traveled to Torun for a shot at something she was denied a year ago: the indoor mile world record. Last year, Tsegay went after Genzebe Dibaba’s 4:13.31 world record in Lievin but the record attempt was derailed early as Tsegay fell early in the race. Today there were no such issues but Dibaba’s record survived as Tsegay had to settle for #2 all-time with a 4:16.16 win.

Tsegay looked disappointed to miss the WR

Considering Tsegay has run 3:53.09 (the world record) and 3:54.77 for 1500 during the last two indoor seasons, 4:13.31 was certainly within her capabilities with a strong run. Typically, Tsegay likes to get out hard and hold on – the pacer split 58.97 for the first 400 when she ran her 1500 WR in 2021. And while Tsegay was out fairly quickly today, pacer Saron Berhe slowed significantly for the next 400, reaching 800 in 2:07.08 with splits of 61.16-65.92 – not what you want to see in a WR attempt.

Berhe stepped off at that point, with Tsegay (2:07.21) now behind pace and requiring a negative split for the WR. It didn’t come, and a disappointed-looking Tsegay crossed the line in 4:16.16 well shy of the record.

Results

Pos Lane Bib Athlete Date Of Birth Club/Country Mark Rank
1 7 28 WA TSEGAY Gudaf 97-06-23 ETHIOPIA 4:16.16 WL PB 1
2 2 112 WA LIZAKOWSKA Weronika 98-11-02 POLAND 4:29.06 2
3 4 48 WA TRACEY Adelle 93-05-27 JAMAICA 4:30.17 3
4 3 51 WA DAMINK Marissa 95-10-24 NETHERLANDS 4:31.85 4
5 1 70 WA PŁOCIŃSKA Aleksandra 99-10-05 POLAND 4:32.23 PB 5
6 6 11 WA MAKI Kristiina 91-09-22 CZECH REPUBLIC 4:32.30 6
7 5 76 WA MEGGER Eliza 99-08-29 POLAND 4:33.72 7
8 27 WA BERHE Saron 00-05-29 ETHIOPIA DNF

Quick Take: #2 all-time is nothing to be ashamed of, but we understand Tsegay’s frustration – poor pacing cost her a shot at the WR today

If you’re billing a race as a world record attempt – which was the case in this race – one of the top priorities has to be finding a strong pacer. Unfortunately the pacing was not up to snuff today and it hurt Tsegay’s chances at the record – though considering she missed it by almost three seconds, there’s no guarantee she would have gotten it anyway.

It is worth noting that Tsegay’s 800 split of 2:07.21 is actually more than a second faster than the 2:08.5 Sifan Hassan split when she ran her outdoor WR of 4:12.33 in 2019. But Hassan is a kicker. Tsegay is not – she likes to get out and run hard from the front and wasn’t able to do that today.

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Women’s 3000: Freweyni Hailu impresses in 3000m debut

On Sunday in Val-de-Reuil, a top Ethiopian 800 runner ran her first career 3000m race and won in impressive fashion. Four days later in Torun, another top Ethiopian 800 runner ran her first career 3000m race and won in impressive fashion.

The first was Diribe Welteji, last year’s 800m 4th placer at Worlds, who ran a world-leading 8:33.44 on Sunday despite miscounting laps and briefly stopping with one lap to go. The second was Freweyni Hailu, last year’s World Indoor 800m silver medalist, who closed in 2:41 for her last kilometer (59.8 last 400, 28.6 last lap) to win in Torun in 8:46.92. Hailu’s win was particularly impressive as she was facing a star-studded field including the reigning World Indoor bronze medalist (Ejgayehu Taye, 2nd, 8:47.81), World Indoor champion (Lemlem Hailu, 3rd, 8:49.10), and World steeple silver medalist (Werkwuha Getachew, 4th, 8:51.55). All four of them were still in it with a kilometer to go, but Freweyni Hailu – who does have 1500 experience, having finished 4th in the 2021 Olympics and 2022 Worlds – blasted them all with a terrific turn of speed.

Results

Pos Lane Bib Athlete Date Of Birth Club/Country Mark Rank
1 1 25 WA HAILU Freweyni 01-02-12 ETHIOPIA 8:46.92 1
2 10 21 WA TAYE Ejgayehu 00-02-10 ETHIOPIA 8:47.81 2
3 9 24 WA HAILU Lemlem 01-05-25 ETHIOPIA 8:49.10 3
4 8 26 WA GETACHEW Werkwuha 95-12-07 ETHIOPIA 8:51.55 4
5 7 55 WA KOSTER Maureen 92-07-03 NETHERLANDS 8:51.62 5
6 2 100 WA GALANT Martyna 95-01-26 POLAND 8:53.43 6
7 4 124 WA NANYONDO Winnie 93-08-23 UGANDA 8:55.23 7
8 5 20 WA MARQUES Agueda 99-03-19 SPAIN 8:58.02 8
9 6 106 WA KONIECZEK Alicja 94-11-02 POLAND 9:00.68 9
10 3 82 WA TOPKA Beata 99-01-20 POLAND 9:03.51 PB 10
11 11 23 TSIHAY Haile Gebru 02-01-20 ETHIOPIA 9:32.53 11

Men’s 1500: Habz holds off Mills

Both France’s Azeddine Habz and Great Britain’s George Mills have been off to strong starts to their 2023 seasons but only one could win today and that was Habz, who held off Mills to win in 3:35.59, just shy of Mohamed Katir’s 3:35.48 world leader from Sunday. Mills was second in 3:35.92, just missing his 3:35.88 indoor pb set two weeks ago.

Pos Lane Bib Athlete Date Of Birth Club/Country Mark Rank
1 10 31 WA HABZ Azeddine 93-07-19 FRANCE 3:35.59 PB 1
2 14 33 WA MILLS George 99-05-12 GREAT BRITAIN 3:35.92 2
3 11 17 WA GOMEZ Jesus 91-04-24 SPAIN 3:36.33 SB 3
4 13 95 WA ROZMYS Michał 95-03-13 POLAND 3:36.54 4
5 12 22 WA ZELEKE Samuel 99-03-09 ETHIOPIA 3:38.57 5
6 5 12 WA SASINEK Filip 96-01-08 CZECH REPUBLIC 3:38.74 SB 6
7 8 115 WA ELMER Tom 97-04-01 SWITZERLAND 3:39.17 PB 7
8 9 68 WA OSTROWSKI Filip 01-07-12 POLAND 3:40.52 8
9 6 71 WA RAK Filip 03-02-03 POLAND 3:40.90 PB 9
10 1 101 WA GROBERSKI Michał 00-06-10 POLAND 3:42.60 PB 10
11 4 3 WA VERHEYDEN Ruben 00-12-22 BELGIUM 3:43.15 11
12 7 87 WA WYDERKA Maciej 02-07-29 POLAND 3:44.35 12
13 3 108 WA KOWALCZYK Andrzej 98-11-30 POLAND 3:47.15 13
2 52 WA FOPPEN Mike 96-11-29 NETHERLANDS DNF
15 93 WA CZERWIŃSKI Adam 88-10-02 POLAND DNF

Men’s 800: Kramer takes it

Sweden’s Andreas Kramer, 5th at World Indoors last year, remained undefeated in 2023, earning his third win in 11 days by running 1:46.37 to defeat Kenya’s Collins Kipruto (2nd in 1:46.82). Poland’s Patryk Dobek, who won the European indoor title on this track in 2021 in a season that culminated with Olympic bronze in Tokyo, was awful in this one, finishing dead last in 1:52.34.

Pos Order / Lane Bib Athlete Date Of Birth Club/Country Mark Rank
1 8 / 5 121 WA KRAMER Andreas 97-04-13 SWEDEN 1:46.37 1
2 6 / 4 49 WA KIPRUTO Collins 94-04-12 KENYA 1:46.82 2
3 2 / 2 18 WA BEN Adrian 98-08-04 SPAIN 1:46.96 SB L 3
4 4 / 3 72 WA BORKOWSKI Mateusz 97-04-02 POLAND 1:47.27 4
5 3 / 2 45 WA BARONTINI Simone 99-01-05 ITALY 1:47.42 PB 5
6 10 / 6 38 WA LEARMONTH Guy 92-04-20 GREAT BRITAIN 1:47.73 6
7 1 / 1 110 WA LEWALSKI Kacper 03-05-07 POLAND 1:48.25 SB 7
8 7 / 4 75 WA SIERADZKI Patryk 98-10-06 POLAND 1:49.83 8
9 5 / 3 114 WA DOBEK Patryk 94-02-13 POLAND 1:52.34 9
9 / 5 34 WA WEBB Jamie 94-06-01 GREAT BRITAIN DNF
11 / 6 64 WA BRYLIŃSKI Robert 91-04-02 POLAND DNF

Go here for full results. Go here for a World Athletics recap of the other events including field events.

Discuss this meet on the LetsRun messageboard:

MB: Today at 12:35 pm ET (17:35 GMT): Gudaf Tsegay mile WR attempt + Hodgkinson vs Moraa at 800. Official Torun discussion thread

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