Wale, Barega and Girma to race in Torun

One year on from their brilliant battle over 3000m in Lievin, the trio of Getnet Wale, Selemon Barega and Lamecha Girma will race over the distance again at the Copernicus Cup – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting – in Torun, Poland, on 22 February.

Steeplechase specialist Wale just missed Daniel Komen’s long-standing world indoor 3000m record of 7:24.90 earlier this year, when he clocked 7:24.98 at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, also a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event.

He led an Ethiopian top four, as he was followed by Barega with 7:26.10, Girma with 7:27.98 and Berihu Aregawi with 7:29.24. Before the race, just six men had bettered 7:30 for 3000m indoors, with Wale, Barega and Girma now respectively sitting second, third and sixth on the world all-time list.

Barega went on to break the 1500m meeting record at the Copernicus Cup a week later, clocking a PB of 3:32.97, before winning the Olympic 10,000m title in Tokyo.

Wale, meanwhile, finished fourth in the 3000m steeplechase at the Olympic Games, while his fellow steeplechase specialist Girma secured silver in Tokyo.

Barega’s performance at the last edition of the Copernicus Cup was one of nine meeting records set.

World Athletics