Kilojoules Magazine

Azeddine Habz rejoices as he crosses the line in a time only eclipsed by five others in history. (Emma Da Silva)

The exclusive sub-3:28 club in the men’s 1500 meters welcomed two new, and somewhat unlikely, members this Friday at the Meeting de Paris. What appeared to be one of the least noteworthy fields of the season prior to the race, without the fiery four that continue to make the 1500 one of the most exciting events in Track and Field, exploded to run one of the fastest races in recent memory.

Led by 31-year-old Frenchman Azeddine Habz, the group of hungry underdogs got out quick and never let the pace drop. Habz took to the front early, positioning himself on the rail directly behind the two pacers who stepped off at 700 meters and 1,000 meters, respectively. Behind him was George Mills, the respected but overlooked Brit coming off of a 12:46.59 5k in Oslo the previous week, and even further back among the pack, a comfortable-looking 18-year-old Kenyan named Phanuel Koech running in his second ever 1500-meter race.

As the pack headed down the back straight of the ultimate lap, Koech began to cruise up through the field, passing Mills with ease and breathing down Habz’s neck with just 100 meters to go. However, a fading Habz found his second gear and buried the field, leaving the pace lights, which were set for just under the French national record, far behind. With a win out of reach, Koech held on as Habz pulled him through the line in an under-20 world-record time of 3:27:72, bested only by Habz’s French record and world lead time of 3:27:49, the 6th and 9th best performances in the history of the 1500-meter race. Azeddine Habz also dipped under the meet record, previously held by 1500-meter world-record holder and middle-distance legend Hicham El Guerrouj.

Behind those two, the field continued to finish in record times, breaking four national records and setting 13 PBs (14 runners competed). The look of utter shock on the faces of almost every finisher said it all. To his own surprise, George Mills shattered his previous personal best by over 2.5 seconds to take third. Other notable improvements came from 6th-place Dutchman Stefan Nillessen and 7th-place Kenyan Abel Kipsang, who improved on their respective season bests by massive margins: 5.64 and 5.63 seconds.

The men’s 1500 had a unique combination of pride, fitness, and hunger that culminated in an electric showdown at Stade Charléty on Friday. Habz was itching to break the national record and knew he was in the shape to break it, and the rest of the field had the grittiness to hang on. Combined with perfect pacing and a rowdy home atmosphere for Habz and the field’s five other Frenchmen, the race turned into one of the most exciting of 2025 across the sport, and solidified Habz and Koech as potential medal contenders in Tokyo later this year.