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Hometown runner Andreas Almgren set a new European record of 12:44.27 to win the men’s 5000m in front of a raucous home support.
His incredible run also obliterated the 29-year-old meeting record of 12:51.60 set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen.
The crowd were already at fever pitch and when Mondo Duplantis set a new world record of 6.28m in the midst of Almgren’s race, it sent the excitement levels into the stratosphere. Feeding off the buoyant crowd, Almren set a relentless pace. He led the field through 3000m at 7:42.9. It was a pace even Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker could not live with.
And after another brutal kilometre, the Swede had only Ethiopian Kuma Girma for company. But with 700 metres to go, Almgren went up another gear and made a long victorious run for home.
In January, Almgren set a European 10km road record of 26.53 in Valencia and he added another continental best, erasing the two-year-old record of 12:45:01 which was held by Spain’s Mohamed Katir. Girma finished second in 12:57.46 with Australia’s Ky Robinson third in 12:58.38.
“This is probably the most memorable night of my life and career so far,” said a breathless Almgren.
“I have felt awful on the start line at previous Stockholm Diamond Leagues but this year I wanted to do my very best. I wanted to give the spectators from my home city something to remember.
“When the pace maker dropped off and Girma was unable to hold the pace, I decided to go for it-nobody remembers a coward. I had the European record in mind this season so I am so pleased to break it along with the Swedish and Stadium record.
“If I look back nine years ago, it was here in this stadium where I broke my navicular bone which led to 5 or so years of injury. I am so delighted and proud to have returned here and produced such a performance.”
In the men’s 800m, Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi asserted his global dominance with a world lead 1:41.95. Algeria’s Olympic bronze medallist Djamel Sedjati was second in 1:42.27 ahead of third placed Josh Hoey of the USA in 1:42.43.
