Yomif Kejelcha finally and emphatically toppled an El Guerrouj world record, Johnny Gregorek became the fastest Johnny Gregorek in history, and Laura Muir owned Europe once again.

Here is the weekend recap for the first weekend in March:

Yomif Kejelcha’s Last 800m From The 3:47.01 Was The Real MVP

After striking out in his first two at-bats against the tricky El Guerrouj record book, Yomif Kejelcha left nothing to chance in his third world record attempt of 2019 on Sunday in Boston. 

From one pacer at the Millrose Games, to two at the Birmingham 1,500m, Alberto and NOP upgraded to three pacers at BU, with one of them-- BAA’s Christian Harrison-- simply there to keep Kejelcha glued in lane one early in the race. All the details had been ironed out-- the Ethiopian even appeared to be rocking a new haircut-- for Kejelcha to control as much could be controlled, to crumble the 0.01 margin between he and El Guerrouj by removing any potential roadblocks. 

Crumble it did. With pacers Erik Sowinski and Harun Abda keeping him consistent through 809m-- hit at 1:54.44, a remarkable 1.45 seconds slower than at Millrose-- Kejelcha this time got to flash his true ability over the final 800m without the weight of early mistakes bearing down on him. 

The pace only got faster once he took over from his pacing corps, cutting down his tempo for three straight laps from 809m to 1,409m: 28.31, 28.01, 27.78. That jaw-dropping 600m span made the last lap a mere formality for the 21-year-old, and when he completed his eighth lap in 28.48, Kejelcha had finished off a mile race with a 1:52.58 final 800 meters.

Yomif Kejelcha's world record mile splits. pic.twitter.com/qDqhwV2bCP

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) March 3, 2019

Kejelcha’s last four laps in Boston were nearly three seconds faster than his closing 800m at last month’s Millrose Games (1:55.47). In hindsight, it was fortunate that he fell just shy of the mark three weeks ago, as Kejelcha learned from his mistakes and was able to put together a flawless performance that likely would not have happened had he snuck under the record in New York.

Johnny Gregorek Breaks The Johnny Gregorek Record...And Becomes Fastest Active U.S. Miler

Even more so than Kejelcha’s 3:47, Johnny Gregorek’s sub-3:50 run was the most surprising performance in Boston. Yes, Gregorek made the World Championship final in 2017, but for a guy who had never run faster than 3:53 to come within 0.09 seconds of the American record was arguably his biggest breakthrough to date. The 3:49.98 has extra special significance within his family, as the 27-year-old has now surpassed his dad, former U.S. Olympian John Gregorek, who ran 3:51.34 all the way back in 1982.

Still in shock! 3:49 for the GREGOREK FAMILY RECORD! Infinite thanks to everyone in my corner. I guess now I’ll try to break 3:40??

— Johnny Gregorek (@JohnnyGregorek) March 4, 2019

It had to be particularly sweet for Gregorek to one-up dad, but more significant going forward is the fact that he now holds the fastest mile PR of any active American miler. Gregorek was an afterthought three weeks ago in the Wanamaker mile, as he was just eighth in 3:55.52, but what a difference one race can make-- he’s now the sixth-fastest man ever indoors. 

Gregorek was positioned to be a “don’t forget about him” guy on the U.S. 1,500m scene heading into outdoors, but with the 3:49 attached to his name he has suddenly launched himself into the category of strong favorite to make another World Championship team.

Laura Muir Crushes Konstanze Klosterhalfen With Preposterous Splits In Euro 3k

We finally got the women's distance matchup we so craved on Friday at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, as hometown favorite and defending champion Laura Muir battled German rising star Konstanze Klosterhalfen for 3,000m gold. In an indoor season not culminating with a global championship, it doesn’t get much better than the fourth-fastest indoor miler (Muir) facing off against the seventh-fastest indoor miler (Klosterhalfen), especially since the race took place in Muir’s backyard.

Muir won in a championship-record 8:30.61, beating Klosterhalfen by a 3.45-second margin that was built entirely in her dominant final lap. The 28.32 closer by Muir is the sort of top-end speed KoKo has not yet harnessed, and despite her efforts, she was unable to take the sting out of Muir’s kick by pushing the pace in the second half. The German, who is coached by the Nike Oregon Project’s Pete Julian, ran her final 1,500 meters in an otherwise impressive 4:08, but had no counter in the last lap.

Muir’s closing splits form a master class display of strength, speed and tactics:

Laura Muir's championship record in the 3000m by the numbers. ?

Last 2km 5:33.62
Last 1km 2:41.54
Last 800m 2:07.74
Last 400m 60.20
Last 200m 28.32

Time: 8:30.61 pic.twitter.com/1IAoDUIfK2

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) March 2, 2019

While Klosterhalfen’s stock has risen considerably in the wake of a spectacular 2019 indoor campaign, Friday’s race proved she still has a ways to go to reach the level of a world-class finisher like Laura Muir. In fairness to Klosterhalfen, however, I’m not sure anyone in the world was beating Muir in a stadium cheering entirely in her favor.

Muir capped off her weekend with an easy 4:05.92 victory in the 1,500m final to complete her second consecutive sweep of the distance events at Euro Indoors.

Marcin Lewandowski Spoils Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s Euro Fun

After his Euro 3k win on Saturday, his third straight European Championships gold medal, 18-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway carried a ton of momentum into the 1,500m final on Sunday. With his recent continental domination and the victory over world record holder Samuel Tefera less than two weeks old, gold seemed like the only logical outcome for the teenager in Glasgow. With all the shine on Ingebrigtsen, however, it was easy to forget that 31-year-old Marcin Lewandowski, who won silver in the World Indoor 1,500m in 2018, was in the race.

Experience beats youth as Poland's Marcin Lewandowski defends his 1500m title, defeating Norwegian upstart Jakob Ingebrigtsen! #Glasgow2019 pic.twitter.com/kQLfeMorVK

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) March 3, 2019

But the Polish middle-distance runner was the defending champion, and his experience advantage showed on Sunday as he let Ingebrigtsen do the leading up until the bell before using his 800m speed to out-sprint the teen in the last lap. Ingebrigtsen was running his fourth race of the weekend, and fatigue no doubt played a huge role in the upset, but Lewandowski still deserves plenty of praise for beating one of the hottest distance runners on the planet with a perfectly timed move.