Federico Bruno broke the South American record of 5,000 meters and made the history of Argentine athletics

The test of the 5,000 meters flat is one of the “classics” in the Olympic athletics program. And the Payton Jordan Invitational tournament, held at the University of California at Stanford, is also a classic of the American athletics spring season. “This is an ideal place to race and seek maximum performance, the weather conditions are perfect, no wind, people are always clapping, the competition is usually very strong and the track is perfect,” says Federico Bruno. Entre Ríos de Concordia, who will turn 30 on June 18, is one of the great figures of Argentine athletics of the last decade. And he says that “this is the fifth time I’ve come to California to race … and it’s always been good for me.”

But what happened on the night of this Friday, April 21, surpassed all predictions. It was “her” race of him, the test of dreams. With a time of 13 minutes, 11 seconds and 57 cents, she won her heat over the 5,000 meters at Payton Jordan and set the new South American record, leaving behind the 13’19”43 set by the Brazilian Marilson Gomes dos Santos held since 2006 in Kassel. Bruno produced an impressive personal improvement of nearly twenty secondsalso beating the Argentine record that Antonio Silio had held for more than two decades (13m19s64, on July 17, 1991 in Rome).

“I’m very happy, it was a goal I’ve set for myself for some time… I trained in Concordia, my hometown, and knew I’d arrive in top form,” said Bruno, who also holds the Outdoor Record Argentinians on 1,500 meters (his specialty) e The mile (where he was the first athlete from our country to lose 4 minutes). He is also the South American record holder in the 1,500m and 3,000m indoors, among other achievements.

Bruno traveled to the United States accompanied by the technical manager of the long distance area of ​​the Argentine Athletics Confederation, prof. Fernando Diaz Sanchezwho said, moments before the test, there was a setback.

“They told us that the hares would run at a slower pace than Fede needed, that they would overcome 3 kilometers in 8m8,” revealed Díaz Sánchez. that could damage the goal proposed by the Argentine, for which he only went with the hares in the first round and, from there, built on all his solo efforts. Crossing the 3,000m line in 7min 54, he felt the record was very much possible, securing it with another 10min 36 split towards the fourth kilometer and an equally strong finish.

“When they told us about that hare pace, I felt it didn’t work for me. That’s why I came out with everything. And I think that a brand like the one I got, running alone, has a high international valuecommented Bruno.

The day had started very promisingly for South American athletics, starting with the Venezuelan Joselyn Brea also set a region record by winning the women’s 5,000m in 15m05s56 (the previous score was by the Brazilian Simone Alves da Silva with 15m18s85 from 2011 in Sao Paulo).

And then Bruno triumphed by a large lead as American runner-up Evert Silva clocked 13s29m21s and compatriot Sam GIlman finished third in 13m30s36s.

Bruno was completing his first outdoor race of the season and didn’t have much 5,000m experience, where his personal best was 13m31s42 achieved four years ago in Torrance, also in California. National record holder of the 1,500m and the mile, he had been the protagonist of a season on the rise in 2022. A virus prevented him from participating in the Ibero-American, but he returned very well and was the best Argentine in the 21k in Buenos Aires, with a of 1h02m10, second in national history. Months later, he won the double gold (1,500-5,000) at the Odesur Games, in Asunción, and finished with his third consecutive victory in the San Isidro 10k/National Championship, where he also set the second record in history of Argentina.

2023 started very well for him, batting the South American record of the 3,000m indoor track (7m47s21 in Valencia) and is now aiming for major international engagements.

With his performance on Friday, he registers his name alongside the legends of Argentine long-distance track and field who were also South American record holders for the 5,000 metres. Between them, Juan Carlos Zabala –Olympic marathon champion- who was the first in the region to run under 15 minutes. Names like those of another glorious Entre Ríos, Raúl IbarraAND Osvaldo Suarez they also left their mark with records and titles in 5,000, while Silio was the first to lower the 14 minutes and then bring the summit to the aforementioned altitude.

“Now I’m going back to Argentina, I’ll take part in the National Championship and then I’ll rest a bit. My main goal for this 2023 is to get a medal for Argentina at the Pan American Games in Chile, where I will run in the 1,500m and 5,000m”, he recounted his unforgettable race in clarion.