Oslo Bislett Impossible Games was made possible in an unusual condition on Thursday, June 11 in spectatorless stadium by the incredible performance of Norwegian king of the track, Karsten Warhlom and Ingerbrigsten brothers.
In a solo race and almost empty stadium in Olso, the double World champion and the 2nd fastest man in history over 400m hurdles, Warholm, broke the 300m hurdles World record with blazing 33.78 seconds shaving 0.60 seconds from Great Britain’s Chris Rawlinson’s previous record.
“I am used to competing against myself in training! It’s better to do it alone than to not do it at all.” said Warholm on smashing the 300m hurdles World record.
Another Norwegian athletics star, the 19-year-old Jakob Ingebrigsten, broke the European 2000m record with 4:50.01. It was the fastest time outdoors since 2001 when Ethiopia’s great Kenenisa Bekele ran 4:49.99 indoors in 2007.
Filip Ingebrigsten set a new Norwegian 1000m record with 2:16.46 shaving 0.32 seconds off the old record held by 1996 Olympic 800 champ Vebjorn Rodal.
World 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot, running in Kenya, was a distant fourth.
Their contest was billed as a team event, with Cheruiyot leading a Kenyan quartet that also included his predecessor as world champion Elijah Manangoi.
However, as the split-screen video link showed wind and rain lashing the track in high-altitude Nairobi, it was clear Team Ingebrigtsen had a distinct advantage.
The most exciting finish of the night came in the women’s 300m hurdles in which Denmark’s Rio 2016 silver medallist Sara Slott Petersen edged out Norway’s Amalie Iuel by two hundredths of a second.
In the men’s pole vault, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis cleared 5.86 for the win.
“I wanted to jump a little bit higher but I knew I wasn’t in the best shape of my life right now. I know I’m rusty!” said the indoor pole vault World record holder at 6.17m.
Duplantis competed against former World indoor record-holder Renaud Lavillenie, who was jumping simultaneously from his back yard in France on a slightly shorter runaway and under windy conditions. Lavillenie cleared 5.81m breaking unofficial back yard pole vault World best.
The event was a substitute for the Oslo Diamond League meet, which was canceled because of the World-wide coronavirus pandemic. Only less than 50 athletes competed across the 13 events at the Impossible Games.
