The English teenager Phoebe Gill everyone was surprised this Saturday at the meeting Belfast Irish Miler by winning the 800m event with the best European record in history for an under-18 athlete.
Gill, just 17 years old, stopped the clock in some shocking fashion 1:57.86cut more than 3 seconds off his personal best and nearly 2 seconds off the previous record (1:59.65), set by the German Mario Geissler-Hübner 45 years ago.
“I was surprised,” he told the BBC after the race. “In the end I didn’t realize that I had arrived. I thought I was dreaming,” he added.
It was the second best absolute mark of the year, just behind the 1:57.73 set by the Ethiopian Tsige Duguma at the African Games in March, and the second-best U18 women’s mark in history, a record set by the Chinese Yuan Wang in 1993 with 1:57.18.
In addition, Gill’s time would have qualified him for entry to the Paris Olympic Games, as it was within the minimum mark required by Worlds Athletics (1:59.30).
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
