Sweden’s Andreas Almgren had the race of his life to slice no less than 11 seconds from the European 10km record at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun race on Sunday (12).
Twelve months ago, the Swede – the World Athletics U20 Championships 800m bronze medallist a decade ago in 2014 – came to this race on Spain’s Mediterranean coast unsure of his form and ability over the distance but surprised himself with sixth place in a national record of 27:20.
This time around, he exuded confidence from the start and it showed from gun to tape.
“Last year, I didn’t know what to expect but I felt so fresh after 7km that I had a very fast finish. It set me up for a good year which included running under 27 minutes for 10,000m on the track [26:57.87 in California last March]” said Almgren.
“This time, I came here with a plan and a target: to stay with the leaders and to run as close to 27 minutes as possible or under as I had some very good sessions in recent weeks."
History made! 🙌
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) January 12, 2025
Andreas Almgren 🇸🇪 becomes the first European to break 27 minutes for 10km with 2️⃣6️⃣:5️⃣3️⃣ in Valencia!#athletics #trackandfield #running pic.twitter.com/XgxJfDu8lw
“As far as the European record was concerned [owned until Sunday by France’s Etienne Daguinos with 27:04 from Lille last November] I knew it was going to be a big fight with Dominic [Lobalu from Switzerland] as he wanted to achieve the same things as me."
So, it proved.
In a thrilling three-way sprint finish over the final half-kilometre, with Lobalu and Kenyan surprise package Vincent Langat battling with Almgren for supremacy, the Sweden dug deep and with his arms pumping like a sprinter finally moved in front over the final 100 metres.
New territory for Lobalu as well
Lobalu, the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships 10,000m winner and former European 10km record-holder when he ran 27:13 in Valencia last year, was second in a national record of 26:54 while Langat was one second further back.
“I might have lost the race but I’m so happy with my performance. It was a strange race as we didn’t have any pacemakers and we were slow over the first three or so kilometres but then the Ethiopian guys started to work hard at the front.
“At the same time, I was struggling slightly between three and six kilometres but then I started to feel better after we went over the second bridge (just before the 7km checkpoint) and then I just relaxed,” reflected Lobalu.
Into the bargain, Almgren and Lobalu move up to 11th and 12th on the world all-time list for the event.
The absence of an assigned pacemaker, who had dropped out through illness the day before the race, combined with the runners having a breeze in their faces for the first three kilometres meant a large group of leaders went through the halfway point in a relatively sedentary 13:43.
However, with the wind now on his back, Almgren flew through the second 5km in a mere 13:10.
Behind the two Europeans on the podium there were a host of national records further down the list of finishers.
Finishing fifth, Isaac Kimeli got his first Belgian senior record when he took a massive 38 seconds off the former mark held Simon Debognies since 2023.
“I was looking for a place on the podium but with a kilometre to go I started to slip away from the leaders but, nevertheless, I’m really happy with my time,” commented the man who has won U20, U23 and senior medals at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
In April, he will be going in search of another individual senior continental medal at the European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven.
“Leuven is my hometown, and I definitely want to do well at those championships. I still have bad memories of the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in 2023, when many people expected me to medal at home but I couldn’t deliver,” added the affable Belgian, modestly skirting over the fact that he was an integral member of the squad that took the senior men's team gold medals on that occasion.
Olympic heroes Farah and Treacy lose their records
Great Britain’s Rory Leonard finished 15th in 27:38 on Sunday but what is highly likely to create some headlines is the fact that he took six seconds off a national record held jointly by a certain Sir Mo Farah and Paris 2024 marathon fourth-placer Emile Cairess.
Immediately following Leonard home was 2016 European 5000m champion Ilias Fifa, whose time of 27:41 was a three-second improvement on the Spanish record of Abdessamad Oukhelfen in the same race last year.
In addition to Farah, another venerable Olympic medallist, albeit of an earlier vintage, to be deprived of a national record was Ireland’s 1984 Olympic Games marathon silver medallist John Treacy whose time of 27:46 from 1985 was improved upon when Efrem Gidey finished 20th in 27:43.
Adding to the plethora of national records in Valencia, Filmon Tesfu sliced 14 seconds off the Dutch standard with 27:45 in 21st place.
In contrast the men’s race, the women’s contest was predominantly an East African affair with Kenya’s Hellen Ekalale Lobun upsetting the odds and beating several runners which much better credentials when winning in 29:31.
Slovenia’s 2019 European U20 5000m champion Klara Lukan was the first European home in 12th place, her time of 31:08 just four seconds shy of her national record set last November in Milan.
Great Britain’s 2021 European indoor 3000m gold medallist Amy-Eloise Neale was the next European home when finishing two places behind Lukan and clocking a personal best of 31:16, which is also faster than she has ever run on the track.
Phil Minshull for European Athletics