Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma obliterated a long-standing world record in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase at the Paris Diamond League meeting on Friday.
Girma, a decorated athlete with two silver medals from world championships and one from the Olympics, clocked a staggering time of 7 minutes 52.11 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 7:53.63 set by Qatari athlete Saif Saaeed Shaheen in 2004.
“I’m filled with immense joy and pride,” expressed Girma. “I felt an incredible speed during the race and had great confidence. Breaking the world record was my goal for tonight in Paris. It is the result of my unwavering determination.”
This extraordinary achievement marked the third world record of the night, following Faith Kipyegon’s record-breaking performance in the women’s 5,000m and Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s remarkable feat in the rarely-run men’s 2 miles.
Girma, aged 22, displayed sheer dominance throughout the race, finishing a remarkable 17 seconds ahead of Ryuji Miura, who himself set a new Japanese record of 8:09.91. Daniel Arce of Spain secured third place with a time of 8:10.63.
Similar to the other record-breaking performances, Girma benefited from the Wavelight technology, which employs infield lights to assist runners in maintaining their pace.
