The penultimate race during Thursday night's Diamond League gala in Oslo offered plenty of entertainment. The men's 1,500 metres was imminent, with Andreas Almgren pitted against Jakob Ingebrigtsen, among others.
The world best before the race was 3:31.47 by Timothy Cheruiyot. That time was shattered. As many as eight runners ran in times under 3.30. Andreas Almgren ran into twelfth place and broke the Swedish record with a time of 3:32,00. And Almgren himself felt the fierce competition:
"It happened quickly there. I just had to hang in as best I could. I'm not used to this," the 28-year-old told C More after the race.
Two Swedish records in a short time
Earlier this spring, Almgren broke his own Swedish record in the 3,000 meters. Sollentuna's son explains the secret behind the success:
"The shape is very good. I have finally had a long training period without any interruptions at all and then the results will come. Hopefully this will also generate more, now the focus is on 5,000 meters. Now I know what I need to do to be in shape.