Breaking the Tape

The Paris Diamond League this weekend promises to be one of the most exciting meets of the season so far. Audrey Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol toe the start line again in another much anticipated 800m race. Can Werro take another step towards finally breaking the oldest world record in track?

But the storylines don’t stop there. We have the return of Niels Laros in the men’s 1500m, lining up in a battle of the prodigies against Australian Cam Myers, although Azeddine Habz might have something to say about the outcome of that race after running 3:27 for the win here last year. The men’s 5000m should also be great viewing, with Almgren, Fisher and a host of top Ethiopians and Kenyans chasing fast times.

And then we have the sprints. Can Colleen Kebinatshipi respond to Sam Ogazi’s huge 43.38 run at NCAAs to prove he remains the undisputed king of the 400m? And similarly, can Noah Lyles, Jordan Anthony et al show the pro 100m big dogs remain ahead of their college counterparts?

No mid-week video from me this week, but be sure to tune in after Paris, when I’ll be breaking down the biggest storylines to come out of what could be the best Diamond League meet so far. See you then!

15 hours ago (edited) | [YT] | 13

Breaking the Tape

After her 51.14 400m in Rome, how fast will Keely Hodgkinson run in her 800m outdoor season opener in Stockholm on Sunday? The Brit is one of the star attractions on a stacked set of start lists, which also features intriguing match ups in the men's 800m and 1500m.

With it looking likely that she will try to take a shot at Jarmila Kratochvilova's world record alongside Josh Kerr's mile world record attempt at the London Diamond League on 18th July, a good showing in Stockholm would give a lot of confidence that 1:53.28 might be possible this season.

For a more in depth analysis of her 400m performance in Rome and how that affects her chances, see my most recent video below:

https://youtu.be/_82GDpCyi0Q?si=xKWZB...

Have a great weekend!😊

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 10

Breaking the Tape

Can this man run sub-2 in London? Jacob Kiplimo's redemption at the Lisbon Half Marathon, where he regained the Half Marathon World Record after World Athletics had refused to ratify his 56:42 from February 2025, set up his clash with Sebastian Sawe next month beautifully. It might not have been quite as fast this time around (57:20), but there were two big mitigating factors:

1. No pacers, and more of a race. Nicholas Kipkorir was with Kiplimo until 15km, meaning it was more about securing the win for the Ugandan. 5k splits of 13:28 / 13:32 / 13:52 / 13:31 showed the pace slowed in that crucial third 5k before Kiplimo made his move. Had he been simply time trialling, a faster finish time seems likely.

2. Closer to London than Barcelona last year. This means Kiplimo was likely in heavier training and probably didn't taper much for this race, with London only seven weeks away. He is also running higher mileage than he was in early 2025, as at that point he had only recently increased above his previous 150km a week up to 200km, whereas he is now running well above that. The fatigue from that extra load will have been harder to overcome.

With Sawe seemingly in sub-2 shape when he ran 2:02:16 in 25 degrees celsius in Berlin last year, Kiplimo will have his work cut out to get the win. The weather can be variable in London, but if it's good conditions and the pacers take them through halfway in 60 minutes, surely one of them will kick away over the last 10km to a world record time and possibly the elusive sub-2?

Let me know what you think will happen, and watch out for a video soon assessing how likely a world record might be.

3 months ago | [YT] | 18

Breaking the Tape

It's the BU Last Chance Meet this Sunday, and that means one thing: the last chance for Sam Ruthe to run another mind-blowing time on his US tour. After running the fastest mile ever by a 16-year-old and breaking the New Zealand record last time out in Boston with his 3:48.88, could there be another age grade world best, or even another national record in the 3000m on the cards? Let me know how fast you think he'll run below.

Other than that it's a fairly quiet weekend of track at the top level, as the Americans start to gear up for the US Indoor Championships in a week's time. Some good performances from stars such as Cooper Lutkenhaus, Yared Nuguse, Cole Hocker and Nico Young there could preclude the most successful ever World Indoor Championships for the US in the men's distance events, with Lutkenhaus, Hocker and Young real contenders for gold in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m. Check out my video analysing whether the 17-year-old Lutkenhaus can shock the world and become the youngest ever world champion on the track, linked below.

https://youtu.be/27E8Pa4-Rmo?si=B5hl4...

Enjoy your Sunday, and watch out for another epic performance from Ruthe later on!

4 months ago | [YT] | 15

Breaking the Tape

We are gearing up for the biggest mile race of the year so far this Saturday! 16 year old Sam Ruthe is due to challenge Olympic champion Cole Hocker at the Sound Invite on the JDL Fast Track. After his stunning 3:48 in Boston, is there a chance the teenager could take down Hocker and a strong field of pros? Check out my video previewing the race below:

https://youtu.be/aLshynrkFCw?si=1HBcL...

Hocker is the clear favourite having beaten the best two mile field on record at Millrose at the start of this month, destroying Josh Kerr and Geordie Beamish in New York and looking like he had plenty left in the tank. His early season time trials have been faster than ever before too, with his 2:16.30 1k last weekend two seconds quicker than he managed at this stage of the season in 2024 and 2025. Does this mean we are finally seeing a Cole Hocker willing to treat regular season races with the seriousness that he does championships, and perhaps chase some world records in 2026? The Sound Invite will be his first chance to show his intention to run fast times in distances that matter, and with the pace lights rumoured to be set at 3:46 flat, there’s every chance we will see that happen.

But Sam Ruthe has made this race much more complicated than it was intended to be. Added to the start list within minutes of his breakout race in Boston, his presence changes this from a Hocker procession to a potential banana skin. Losing to a 16-year-old would not be a good look, but after Ruthe’s performances this winter season, there is a small chance it could happen. With the fast times already in the bank, there is no need for Ruthe to push the pace here, and if he can gain a few percent from drafting behind Hocker and can hang on to 3:46 pace, then it might be a closer finish than their respective pedigrees would suggest. Ruthe ran a very impressive 1:45 800m to beat training partner Sam Tanner in January, and has been making 25 second 200m reps look easy in training, so his kick will be a threat even to the Olympic champion, and might just put Hocker in two minds about whether he sticks to the plan and forces the pace with the aim of a fast time, or sits back and maximises his chances of winning in a kick.

With more sub-3:50 milers in Sam Tanner, Festus Lagat and Vince Ciattei in the field looking to stake their claims, plus Hocker’s training partner Cooper Teare, it’s sure to be a fun race. Let me know how you think it will go, and see you after the race on Saturday for another race recap video😄

4 months ago | [YT] | 20

Breaking the Tape

Femke Bol is not wasting time! After announcing her switch to the 800m at the end of last season, she will race in the event for the first time in an indoor race in Metz on Sunday. This is exciting - she initially said that she would first race “when we see I’m ready, when we see I’ve trained all aspects and I’m not lagging behind anywhere.”

For her and coach Laurent Meuwly to already decide to attack a race then, shows she has taken to 800m training faster than many expected, and we can look forward to a big debut this weekend. The field isn't weak either. There are three 1:58 women racing, and everyone on the start line other than Bol has run sub-2 minutes.

So how fast will she run? I'm expecting something quick. Her coach claims she has run 1:23 for a 600m time trial in training, and this is already similar to the indoor world record in that event (Keely Hodgkinson's 1:23.41). Let me know what you think in the comments below😊

4 months ago | [YT] | 10

Breaking the Tape

Indoor Season kicks off properly this weekend! The Millrose Games is going to be epic, but first we have Sam Ruthe racing in Boston. Lining up alongside training partner Sam Tanner in a stacked mile field, we will likely see the fastest mile by a 16-year-old on US soil, and after his 3:53 last weekend, it's anyone's guess how fast he will go.

Look out for a recap on my channel soon after the race, and in the meantime, let me know how fast you think Ruthe might run this time out.

Link to the field for the race below:

lancer.trackscoreboard.com/meets/437/events/62/Fin…

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 15

Breaking the Tape

The World Cross Country Championships are finally here! Which team do you think will win the men's race?

Questionable selections by the Kenyan federation make this perhaps the most open World Cross in years. With none of their 2024 winning team making it on the plane to Tallahassee, there is a huge opportunity for someone different to make their mark. Ethiopia will start as favourites, led by Berihu Aregawi, who finished 2nd last time out, and teenage sensation Biniam Mehary.

But there is real chance of a home victory, with the USA naming their strongest team for a long time, and Nico Young, Graham Blanks and trials winner Parker Wolfe heading up a group of athletes with the 5k and 10k times on paper to rival anything their competitors from East Africa can offer.

Jacob Kiplimo returns to defend his crown from 2023 and 2024, but without the backing of compatriot Joshua Cheptegei, it looks unlikely Uganda will be able to repeat their heroics of 2019 in Denmark.

The fight for victory is going to be enthralling viewing. Let me know if there is anyone you think I've missed, and look out for recap videos coming to my channel after the event😄

5 months ago | [YT] | 2

Breaking the Tape

Happy New Year Everyone! Thanks to everyone who has subscribed as I started out telling the stories of our favourite athletes in 2025. With so many top races to look forward to at the start of 2026 - World Cross Country, Millrose Games, World Indoors - I can't wait to document it all and keep putting out the videos. Looking forward to having you all along for the ride in the new year!

5 months ago | [YT] | 27

Breaking the Tape

On 29th October I posted the video below predicting that Alex Yee would run 2:06 at the Valencia Marathon. At the time, not even the man himself was talking about a time that fast, and most people didn't give him a chance. Turns out it was one of my better takes. Maybe I should give up the running videos and start doing triathlon ones instead...😆



https://youtu.be/nu5rtxYkvaI?si=2yYBE...



Looking forward to seeing what this means for Yee in future. The marathon at the 2029 World Champs as I suggested in the video, or maybe even a fun Triathlon / Marathon double at the next Olympics?🤞

6 months ago | [YT] | 25