World record holder Lamecha Girma on what pushed him to break 19-year-old Steeplechase record

ATHLETICS World record holder Lamecha Girma on what pushed him to break 19-year-old Steeplechase record

Abigael Wafula 13:04 - 22.06.2023

The Ethiopian confessed that he felt some pressure since he had already made the news known to the whole world and he had to honour his word.

3000m Steeplechase world record holder Lamecha Girma has admitted that promising to break the world record shortly before the Diamond League Meeting in Paris, France is what pushed him to the limits.

The Ethiopian confessed that he felt some pressure since he had already made the news of breaking the record known to the whole world and he had to keep his word.

“Before breaking the record, I could only think about breaking the record! I was telling the journalists there that I would break the record so I had to be thinking about breaking the record all day. In a way, that added some pressure.

"But because I said it aloud I knew I must do it. Then, when I broke it I was of course happy but also relieved. Because I had been talking about it so much it was like a weight had been lifted,” he said, as quoted by Citius Mag.

He added that he had a plan for how he would execute the race and he wanted to maintain the pace until he crosses the finish line.

“I knew that if I could see the light, I wouldn’t break the record. So, once I was alone I didn’t want to see it at all. When I came through 2000m, the lights were far behind, but then I saw them creeping up.

"Before the final lap, I saw the lights out of the corner of my eye and knew I really needed to go. I put in an extra push then and then I knew I was going to break the record and I was just elated,” he added.

His focus is now on the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where he intends to improve on his second-place finish.

“Now I will just turn my attention to the World Championships. Maybe in the future I will target the 5,000m world record. But right now, I’m just focused on the World Championships,” he said.

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