World 5000m bronze medallist Konstanze Klosterhalfen just missed the European mile record at the NYRR Millrose Games on Saturday (8) evening but she moved to fourth on the world indoor all-time list and broke two of her German records in the process.
After following the pacemaker through the halfway point in 2:08.6, Klosterhalfen led a highly accomplished field into the last lap and stretched her lead out to five metres down the back straight. But the German was beginning to show the strain and could not respond when Elle Purrier moved alongside her and then kicked away from Klosterhalfen in the home straight.
Purrier, who finished eleventh in the 5000m at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, delivered an emphatic breakthrough performance in the build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, setting the second fastest ever time indoors of 4:16.85 to break Mary Decker-Slaney’s long-standing American record of 4:20.5.
SHE'S DONE IT!
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) February 8, 2020
Elle Purrier wins the Wanamaker Mile at the #NYRRMillroseGames, with an American record performance! pic.twitter.com/dFpGsMv39h
Klosterhalfen also demonstrated her preparations are very much on track for Tokyo and the Paris 2020 European Athletics Championships. She stopped the clock at 4:17.26, missing Romanian Doina Melinte’s 30-year-old European indoor record by 0.12. Her time also surpassed both her German indoor (4:19.98) and outdoor (4:21.11) mile records and she also improved her German indoor 1500m record with an en route 3:59.87.
After breaking the British indoor 800m record with 1:57.91 on her season’s debut in Glasgow last weekend, double European U23 champion Jemma Reekie continues to ascend. She broke two of her training partner Laura Muir’s British records, finishing third in 4:17.88 and passing through the 1500m checkpoint in 4:00.52.
A fortnight after winning in Boston, European indoor 3000m bronze medallist Chris O'Hare continued his early season winning streak in Wanamaker Mile in 3:55.61. Norway's Filip Ingebrigtsen finished seventh in 3:56.99.