St Pierre wins 3000m in championship record a year after giving birth

Elle St Pierre ran a perfectly judged race to win the women’s 3000m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24, outsprinting Ethiopia’s world indoor 1500m champion and outdoor 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay to set a North American and championship record of 8:20.87.

A performance that took almost five seconds off her personal best saw her step up to the top of the podium having won silver in this event two years earlier in Belgrade.

St Pierre (nee Purrier), who gave birth to a son almost exactly a year ago on 4 March 2023, tailgated the lead group of four for most of the race before making her move on the final bend as she came past the leader on the outside and held her form to the line.

“This is amazing,” St Pierre said. “It's all I ever dreamed of. It’s been a big year for me. It’s really emotional to think of, but a year ago my son was born; to be here as a world champion, I can't imagine it. I feel like a new person, a new athlete. I can't wait to see him after this.

“It's really exciting to break the championship record. I did worry the pace was too high in the middle, but after that I decided not to think too much about it and just go for it.

“I definitely didn't know I had the gold till the finish, the last 10 metres. Then wow! Having a baby just a year ago (this month), it feels like I have gone full circle to be back. I have felt in the groove in the racing I have been doing and I really wanted to be in the mix today.

“This really is a dream, and with the Olympics ahead it is a big confidence-booster. I could have been intimidated with the names on the board tonight but you have to believe in yourself and I went and gave it my best shot.”

St Pierre’s win bucked the trend of this event at the World Indoor Championships, in which nine of the past 10 gold medals had gone to Ethiopia.

Tsegay, the world 5000m record-holder, came within a whisker of the world indoor 3000m record with 8:17.11 in Lievin on 10 February, but here she had to settle for silver in 8:21.13.

Bronze went to Kenya’s steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech, who had taken the race off at a brisk early pace. She clocked a national indoor record of 8:22.68, with Australia’s Jess Hull just missing out on a medal as she clocked an Oceanian record of 8:24.39.

Britain’s Laura Muir, who won European indoor 1500m and 3000m titles in this Glasgow Arena in 2019, sought throughout to keep in touch with the lead group but in the end had to settle for fifth place in a season’s best of 8:29.76.

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics