Germany’s top runner Konstanze Klosterhalfen broke the unofficial European record over two miles at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene. The 25-year-old finished fourth in a high-class race in her adopted home in the US state of Oregon in 9:16.73 minutes and was 67 hundredths faster than the British Paula Radcliffe in 2004.
Klosterhalfen was the best
Radcliffe had achieved the mark as a split time in a 5000 meter race. Klosterhalfen was the best European in a pure two-mile race since her time of 9:18.16 minutes last year, also achieved in Eugene, the venue of the upcoming World Championships (July 15th to 24th).
The world association World Athletics, the European association European Athletics and the German Athletics Association DLV do not have any official records for the rarely run and non-Olympic two miles.
Top time of the winner
The winner of the Eugene race was two-time world indoor champion Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, who clocked the second-best time in history at 8:59.08 minutes, missing the 15-year-old world record by Ethiopian Meseret Defar by just half a second.
Source: sid