Yann Schrub won a bronze medal in the 3000 meters at the Indoor World Championships on Saturday in Torun, Poland. The French runner finished in 7 minutes 35 seconds and 71 hundredths, just one hundredth away from silver. The Scottish Josh Kerr took gold in 7:35.56, ahead of American Cole Hocker (7:35.70).
This medal crowns an exceptional winter for the sports doctor and 2023 European cross-country champion. In February, he set the French record for the 3000m (7:29.32). He also holds the European record for the 10 km (26:43). “Three races: a French record, a European record, a world medal,” he summed up.
A last-minute participation
Schrub had initially not planned to participate in these championships. “Twenty days ago, I didn’t even want to come, I was really focused on my road season, but after the European record for the 10 km, I thought about it and even if all the best were in Torun for the 3000m, I still wanted to try my luck, to confront them as a 10k runner,” he explained.
The risk paid off. “Beyond the medal, what I remember most is that I fought with them until the end, I am on the right track,” he emphasized. He noted the difference between the two disciplines: “Today I am one hundredth away from the silver medal and not far from gold, in a discipline that is not mine. Between the 26 minutes and 43 seconds of effort in 10 km and a five-minute effort here, because at the beginning it’s a bit intimidating, it’s not at all the same thing!”
