Agnes Ngetich runs 8:08.95 for 3000 m in Monaco, the third-fastest time ever
The world cross country champion went through 2000 m in 5:24.08 and finished 15 seconds clear of Aleshign Baweke; Faith Kipyegon was fourth.
Photograph: The women's 10,000 m final at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Agnes Ngetich in the pack behind Gudaf Tsegay and Letesenbet Gidey, by filip bossuyt, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsAgnes Ngetich won the 3000 m at the Herculis meeting in Monaco on Friday in 8:08.95, a meeting record and the third-fastest time ever run. Only Wang Junxia's world record of 8:06.11 from Beijing in 1993 and Faith Kipyegon's 8:07.04 from Chorzów last August are quicker.
Ngetich passed 1000 m in 2:41.85 and 2000 m in 5:24.08, on schedule for the record, and lost the pace only over the last two laps. Nobody else was close. Aleshign Baweke of Ethiopia was second in 8:23.81 and Senayet Getachew third in 8:24.02, both personal bests. Kipyegon, second on the all-time list, was fourth in 8:24.21. Freweyni Hailu ran 8:25.77.
It has been Ngetich's year. She won the senior women's race at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee in January by 42 seconds, ran 28:58 for 10 km on the road in Lille in April and won the New York Mini 10-K in June in 30:07, a course record. The track was the one place she had not yet made the point, and Monaco's is the fastest there is.
In the men's 5000 m, Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland outsprinted Graham Blanks, 12:52.54 to 12:52.60, with Birhanu Balew third in 12:52.91. Simon Koech won the steeplechase in 8:03.35 from Ryuji Miura, 8:10.30.
Two women have ever run faster than Ngetich did on Friday, and one of them was in the race, 15 seconds back.
Sources: World Athletics; Wikipedia; Wikipedia.
