Toruń, Poland – Adelle Tracey set a new national record of 4 minutes 30.17 seconds in the Women’s one-mile event on Wednesday, February 8, at the ORLEN Copernicus Cup Indoor Meet. This performance eclipsed the mark of 4 minutes 31.48 seconds set days earlier by her compatriot, Aisha Praught-Leer, in the USA. The previous record of 4 minutes 32.33 seconds by Kenia Sinclair, done on March 3, 2005, was broken twice from the USA to Europe in a matter of days.

Toruń seemed to have been the perfect stage for Tracey, going up against the likes of Gudaf Tsegay (ETH), who ran a personal best and world-leading time of 4 minutes 16.16 seconds, hometown favourite Weronika Lizakowska (POL) was second in a time of 4 minutes 29.06 seconds, and Tracey third in the current national record.

The race was controlled by Tsegay from the outset, as she stayed close to the pace runner, who stepped aside at 2 minutes 25 seconds. Then, Tsegay pulled away from a trailing pack, where Tracey was tucked into third and maintained her position throughout.

The performances by Praught-Leer and Tracey should make JAAA/Puma/Jamalco Development Meet Honouree Inez Turner, hopeful that the country’s distance legacy is in good hands.