Giles far exceeded his target, though, and improved Coe’s mark by more than a second, moving up to second place on the world indoor all-time list. Only the legendary Wilson Kipketer, with his 1:42.67 world indoor record from the 1997 World Indoor Championships, has ever run faster indoors. Realising he was operating at record pace, Giles cranked up the tempo for the final circuit – covered in 26.35 – and crossed the line a clear winner in 1:43.63. Andreas Kramer was third in a Swedish indoor record of 1:45.09, while world indoor champion Adam Kszczot was fourth in 1:45.22 – his fastest indoor performance for seven years. World indoor record-holder Genzebe Dibaba, looking out of sorts, stepped out of the race after just two minutes of running and later limped off the track.

Source: Standard Digital February 18, 2021 19:41 UTC