Punctuated by a dramatic barrier mishap in the women’s steeplechase, the 2018 Oslo Bislett Games saw a number of national records go down and new world leads established. Check out the top moments below, which kick off with the madness of the women’s steeplechase. 

Barrier Set At Men’s Height During Women’s Steeplechase Leads To Utter Chaos

Just looking at the winning time of the women’s steeplechase won’t tell you the full story of the insanity that unfolded over those 7.5 laps. The race—which included reigning world champion Emma Coburn, 2017 world silver medalist Courtney Frerichs and Olympic silver medalist Kiyeng Hyvin—was set to be paced for a nine-minute performance, and with such fine conditions and competition, it may have yielded such a result if not for a massive technical error by the meet staff. 

One of the barriers was set to the men’s 36” height—a whopping six inches taller compared to the women’s standard.

Unsurprisingly, chaos ensued. Several runners collided into the taller barrier, including Frerichs. Coburn, who survived the shock, wildly gestured to the meet officials while racing to get their attention, but they did not send anyone out to the track to resolve the issue until the second lap. Coburn later tweeted that her husband and coach’s heroics may have helped:

Thank you to my coach/husband @JoeBosshard for running onto the track to make the officials change the barrier from the men’s height. One of the million reasons why I love you.

— emma coburn (@emmajcoburn) June 7, 2018

When the field returned to the still-incorrect barrier on the third lap, the staff still hadn’t fully lowered it, leaving it askew and diagonal. Nonetheless, the women jumped it, and by the time they rolled around for the fourth lap, it was finally fixed, but the leaders Kiyeng and Coburn were well behind nine-minute pace. Despite the adversity, they still went through 2K in 6:09. 

With a lap to go, Kiyeng passed Coburn, and proceeded to put a five-meter gap on her. Coburn fought valiantly to catch up after efficiently passing the final barrier, but Kiyeng was a couple of strides ahead by the time they reached the line, where Kiyeng and Coburn finished in 9:09.63 and 9:09.70, respectively. After hitting the troublesome first barrier, Frerichs fought hard to make up for lost time and ended up fourth in 9:20.84. 

Last week, Coburn fell during the Rome Diamond League steeplechase, but got to her feet and finished in 9:08. Although this week didn’t provide the kind of redemption she was probably hoping for, it’s definitely a testament to her competitive nature that she was able to once again overcome a mishap and run 9:09.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen Continues To PR Every Time He Steps On The Track

Young upstart Jakob Ingebrigtsen entered this meet with some serious momentum. The 17-year old has improved his PR in each of his five 1500m races this season, taking his best time from 3:42 to 3:37. After so many consecutive PRs, some might think he’s due to hit a peak. But he clearly isn’t running out of room to grow.

Norway’s hometown favorite charged out ahead of the field and led through the bell lap, followed by Chris O’Hare, Pat Casey and Robby Andrews. But as O’Hare began to chase daylight off the final turn to surpass Ingebrigtsen, Andrews went wide and boxed Ingebrigtsen in. O’Hare won with a season’s best 3:35.96, Andrews finished runner-up in 3:36.05, and Ingebrigtsen continued his onslaught of personal bests with a 3:36.06.  

Ingebrigtsen's progression this season: 

The People Want To See Muhammad vs. McLaughlin

After a rather evenly matched race until the halfway mark, Shamier Little and Dalilah Muhammad duked it out through the turn and down the homestretch, but the technician in Muhammad won out as Little’s form deteriorated through the ninth and tenth hurdles. They finished 1-2 in 53.65 and 53.94, respectively, while Canada’s Sage Watson closed out the third spot with a 54.55. Muhammad’s mark was a season’s best for her, and her second Diamond League win of 2018. 

But the matchup we really want to see will have to wait—though perhaps not too much longer.

Nearly everyone knows Sydney McLaughlin has been tearing up the collegiate scene with world-leading 400m hurdle times. But fewer know that McLaughlin’s PR, 52.75, is more than a tenth slower than Muhammad’s 52.64 PR. Of course, McLaughlin hasn’t run that race under any serious pressure yet, and Muhammad set that PR two years ago, but imagine the outcome this matchup could yield... the world record is 52.34. Such a pairing could provide the right conditions to take it down. 

Or Syd could do it at this week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships unchallenged. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Hell Hath No Fury Like Caster Semenya 

Although this is definitely editorializing, the IAAF's attempts to stop Caster Semenya from competing seem to have added more fuel to her competitive fire. The South African is nearly untouchable over two laps—she hasn't lost an 800m race yet this season, and I doubt she will. 

After taking the field through 400m in 57.7, Semenya won the race handily in 1:57.25—a far cry from her 1:55 PR—in a controlled effort that saw her lead from the start. Her familiar foe Francine Niyonsaba finished runner-up in 1:58.57, while Ethiopia's Habitam Alemu took third in 1:58.58. 

1500m specialist Laura Muir finished fifth in 1:59.09, while American Brenda Martinez earned sixth in 2:00.74.

Warholm's Explosive Start No Match For Samba's Efficiency

Norway's other track darling, 2017 400m hurdles world champion Karsten Warholm, mounted a furious attempt to dethrone Abderrahman Samba, who won last week's Rome Diamond League with a world-leading 47.48. 

But after leading most of the race, the former decathlete faltered on the seventh barrier, and had to change legs into the eighth hurdle. 

Meanwhile, Samba took advantage, and overtook him through the finish line to establish a new world lead and reset the meet record in 47.60. Warholm finished runner-up in 48.22, but even if he had run faster, he would've needed to run a PR and a new national record to defeat Samba.

The Men's 'Dream Mile' Wasn't All That Dreamy 

The Oslo Bislett Games' closing race was supposed to send off this year's edition of the meet with a bang, but instead, it fizzled out. The pacer was on schedule for going out in 1:52/1:53, but the rest of the field wouldn't go with him, trailing behind by more than 10 meters throughout. 

Sadik Mikhou led most of the way, followed by 2017 1500m world champion Elijah Manangoi and Filip Ingebrigtsen. After hitting 3:02 at the bell, the field bunched up even more as the runners began to make their moves, and Henrik Ingebrigtsen found himself up in the front four for a moment, but ultimately Manangoi had the legs to carry himself over the line first in 3:56.95, followed by a hard-charging Mikhou in 3:57.10.