American long distance runner, Nico Young has credited a recent altitude training stint in Spain for helping him handle the heat and intensity of the men’s 5000m at the Paris Diamond League, where he clocked 12:55.71 to finish seventh.
“It was good heat training for this actually,” said Young. “It was nice, I liked it over there.”
Racing in a field where Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha won in a season-best 12:47.84, Young didn’t shy away from the early world record pace. He latched onto the front group, determined to see how long he could hang on.
“Yeah, I decided to stick on the pace even at like six laps where it felt very hard to,” he said. “And it didn’t end up panning out, but you know, a sub-13-minute race is really good going into this one.”
The Paris effort came just a week after Nico Young shattered Grant Fisher’s American record in the 5000m. He ran 12:45.27 to win in Oslo on June 12. That performance established the 22-year-old as a serious contender ahead of the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“I feel gassed right now,” Young admitted after the race. “But Oslo and this [Paris] are perfect coming into the Trials.”
The 2025 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set for July 30 to August 3. It will serve as the final selection event for the World Championships in Tokyo. Young is staying focused and plans to regroup with his coach before the final push.
“I’m going to talk to my coach after this, see what he has to say, but yeah, this is pretty good.”
