Heather MacLean in Boston (© Getty Images)
Heather MacLean moved to fourth on the women’s world indoor mile all-time list, while Yared Nuguse achieved the fifth-fastest indoor mile in history at the Last Chance Indoor National Qualifier meeting in Boston, USA, on Sunday (2).
Nuguse went into the race targeting the world indoor record of 3:45.14 that has been set by Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Lievin on 13 February. That performance had improved on the world record of 3:46.63 that Nuguse had set in New York just five days earlier.
Although Nuguse was unable to beat either mark this time, the Olympic and world indoor medallist still ran 3:47.22 – the fifth-fastest mile ever run indoors and a time just 0.21 off the former world record set by Yomif Kejelcha in 2019 that Nuguse improved on in New York. It means Nuguse now owns three of the top six performances on the world indoor mile all-time list.
Oliver Hoare finished second in the men’s invitational mile in Boston, clocking an indoor PB of 3:50.77.
The women’s invitational mile was won by MacLean in 4:17.01.
Improving her previous indoor best by more than six seconds, MacLean now sits fourth on the world indoor all-time list.
Only world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba (4:13.31), Gudaf Tsegay (4:16.16) and US record-holder Elle St. Pierre (4:16.41) have ever beaten that time indoors.
Sintayehu Vissa finished second behind MacLean in an Italian indoor record of 4:21.51 and New Zealand's Maia Ramsden was third in 4:21.56, also a national indoor record.
Butler and Whittaker impress in Texas
USA’s Aaliyah Butler and Isabella Whittaker respectively moved to sixth and seventh on the women’s world indoor 400m all-time list after clocking 49.78 and 49.90 at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Texas on Saturday (1).
USA’s Jordan Anthony won the 60m in 6.54 to equal his PB and beat Nigerian 17-year-old Israel Okon who ran 6.55 in the final after equalling the world U20 indoor record of 6.51 in the heats. Malaysia’s Muhd Azeem Fahmi was third in the final in a national indoor record of 6.56.
At the Big 12 Indoor Championships, Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel won the men’s 400m in an African indoor record of 44.74 to move to eighth on the world indoor all-time list.
