TALES OF ATHLETICS - by Kipkemboi Arap Korir

 

Daniel Komen, man who holds the unbreakable 3000m Flat World Record, 7:20:67 set 27 years ago

When people are told to mention great athletes, they will mention, Kipchoge Keino, Haile Gebrselasie, Paul Tergat, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, and many other legends. But few will mention the great Daniel Komen.

Komen is one of three runners in history to break all of the following marks: 3:30 for 1,500 meters, 7:30 for 3,000 meters and 13:00 for 5,000 meters.

In 1996 between July 3 and September 7, a period of less than 70 days, Komen raced eleven times. Nine of those events were at distances between 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, including a two-mile. Komen won all nine races, setting world records in two and narrowly missing in a third. His average time in his four 3,000-meter “contests” was 7:26.75.

Firstly, he broke the World record over 2 miles on July 14th in Sweden, running 8:03.54. One month later he runs 7:25.16 for 3000m, just 0.05 second of the existing World Record. He then runs within a second of Gebrselassie’s world record when he runs 12:45.09 for 5000m. Two days later he runs a personal best of 3:34.17 and a week later he runs 7:25.87 again for 3000m.

He then flew to Reiti, Italy to take another crack at the 3000m record. He sets off in 1.57.0 and the commentators break into laughter at the incredible pace. The laughter stops as he passes through the mile in 3.54 and keeps this suicidal pace up all the way to the line, smashing the existing World Record by 4.5 seconds. No one has ever been within 3 seconds of this record since. Not El Gerouj, Not Asbel Kiprop, Not Gabresellasie. No one. 

He ran every lap under 60 seconds!  He is the first and so far, the only man to run two, back to back sub four-minute mile. 

 

Splits from his 3000m World Record;

 

400 57.5

800 1:56.

1000 2:25.89 (59.26)

1400 3:23.55 (57.66)

1800 4:23.46 (59.91)

2000 4:53.18 (59.72)

2200 5:21.83 (58.37 )

2600 6:21.58 (59.75)

3000 7:20.67 (59.09)

The following year he wins the world championships over 5000m, runs 3:29.46 for 1500m, 3:46.48 for the mile and another world record running 12:39.74 for 5,000. He also becomes the first and so far, only man to run two back to sub four-minute miles when he runs 7:58.4.

He continued on through the season of 1998 when he runs 7.24 for 3000m indoors, runs another 7:58 two-mile and wins a silver medal in the World Cross Country Championships and wins the 1998 Commonwealth Games 5,000-meter Championship.

Komen's senior effective profession last less than two years but it burn brighter. He was a rock star. He was like a bull in a china shop, he came in like a whirlwind and smashed world records and was gone before people had a chance to appreciate him. 

Though he didn't make to Olympic, he is the greatest.