by Stuart Weir
Bislett Games highlights
The purpose of the Bislett Games is to showcase the talents of the two great Norwegian athletes, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Karsten Warholm. Well, that is how it sometimes seems. It came partly undone this year and nearly came totally undone.
Karsten, in his usual outside lane, went off like a rocket and took a big lead. As Warholm began to tie up in the home straight, hitting the final hurdle, he allowed Alison dos Santos to overtake and win in 46.63, with Warholm finishing in 46.70.
Herculis EBS
July 21, 2023, Monaco, photo by Kevin Morris
Warholm said, “I am happy with the race, but of course, I always come to win, so there is no way around that. I hit the last hurdle quite badly, so that didn’t help and gave me a lot to do. But then again, there is plenty to work on, and that is the important takeaway from today. I am on a very good path. I went out fast, and I am working on my new stride pattern, 14/14, and I was pleased with how that went today.”
Dos Santos said: “It felt good, and I loved this track, the people and the energy. It is always good to come here, to come out and be able to win. It was a tough race, but I wanted to show I am there, ready and in good shape, and can go even faster”.
Jakob seemed to have the 1500m race under control, but Timothy Cheruiyot was finishing fast, requiring Jakob to dive for the line to win in 3:29.74 by just 0.03 seconds. Jakob commented: “I really do not think that it was a decision I made /to dive into the finish line/ because everything just happened so fast. But I can tell you that was a sprint-off. It was a good race, I felt stronger than last time. So today, it was all about my improvement and at the same time, I wanted to do my best and to give the crowd the show. But I can tell you that I was getting sore in the last 50m”.
Cheruiyot said: “Jakob is a strong guy, and he finished fast today. I’m glad to be here in Oslo for the second time; the track is amazing. I was expecting the win, but I’m satisfied I managed to run under 3:30 today. Now, I’m going home to prepare for the Kenyan trials ahead of Paris, where I hope to get another medal for my country”.
Other winners included:
Men’s 100m: Akani Simbine 9.94
Men’s 5000m: Hagos Gebrhiwet 12:36.73
Men’s Pole Vault: KC Lightfoot 5.82
Men’s Triple Jump: Hugues Zango 17.27
Men’s Discus: Mykolas Alekna 70.91
Women’s 200m: Brittany Brown 22.32
Women’s 400m: Marileidy Paulino 49.30
Women’s 800m: Prudence Sekgodiso 1:58.66
