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Ingebrigtsen wins 3,000m for third Euro indoor double gold / Photo: © AFP
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Ingebrigtsen wins 3,000m for third Euro indoor double gold
Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen defended his European indoor 3,000m title on Sunday to become a double gold medallist at three consecutive editions of these continental championships.
The Norwegian, who had already wrapped up the 1500m on Friday, clocked a winning 7min 48.37sec for what was a 17th European title across all surfaces and championships.
Ingebrigtsen, still just 24, matched the record of seven European indoor gold medals won by a male athlete.
Soviet-Ukrainian Valeriy Borzov previously held that record, having won 50m and 60m titles in the 1970s when the event was held annually.
Ingebrigtsen, a double Olympic champion and two-time world champion over 5,000m, was content to sit at the back of the pack as the pistol went for the 15-lap race.
The Norwegian took the pace up, moving into the lead with Britain's George Mills and Dutch teenager Niels Laros on his shoulder.
The opening kilometre was positively pedestrian with the pack three or even four deep at times.
Mills took up the running, slightly upping the tempo, as Sweden's Andreas Almgren boxed in Ingebrigtsen.
With seven laps to go, no one committed to break ranks until home runner Stefan Nillenssen accelerated through to the front ahead of Mills, Ingebrigtsen and Almgren.
The race started to wind up with five laps to run, Mills motoring away.
The pace rapidly split the field into single file, Ingebrigtsen taking up the running with two-and-a-half laps to the finish line.
Mills stuck with the Norwegian, tucked in on his coattails, but the Briton was never a real threat as he faded in the last 100 metres.
Ingebritsen coasted across the line, one wagging finger raised, to match Borzov's record, albeit in a time far from the 7:17.55 world record he set over the distance outdoors last year.
Mills took silver in 7:49.41m with France's Azeddine Habz outsprinting Almgren to round out the podium for his second medal of these champs after a silver in the 1500m.
Poland's Anna Wielgosz earlier won the women's 800m crown in 2:02.09 ahead of France's Clara Liberman and Slovenia's Anita Horvat.
There are 10 more finals in the final session at the Omnisport Arena, including the women's high jump with Ukraine's reigning Olympic, world and European outdoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh going for a third European indoor title.
L.Nguyen--SFF
