Just under two weeks after running a world-leading 1:59.62 over 800m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York, Jamaica’s Natoya Goule was at it again with another world-leading time at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais at the Arena Stade Couvert, Liévin – Indoor Meeting on Thursday (February 17).

In the clash between the only two women to have broken two minutes in the 800m this year, Goule got the better of world champion Halimah Nakaayi with a world-leading 1:58.46. The time was also a lifetime best for Goule and a national indoor record for Jamaica.

She also shaved more than a second off the previous world-leading time she set in New York.

In what was a thrilling contest, the pacemaker went through the first 400m in 57.56, then Goule maintained the swift tempo, breezing through 600m in 1:27.64.

The world and Olympic finalist didn’t let up and held off a strong final challenge from Nakaayi for the victory which was the fastest ever indoor performance by someone from a Caribbean nation.

“Another satisfying performance, who could it be but God,” Goule posted on Instagram afterwards. “Another world lead, Indoor national record, healthy finish.”

Nakaayi was rewarded with a Ugandan indoor record of 1:58.58, while Kenya’s Eglay Nalyanya was third in a personal best of 2:00.26.

Goule has been in spanking form so far this season with times of 2:02.14 for second place at the Millrose Games on January 29 before breaking the two-minute barrier at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix a week later.

She made her first World Championship final in Doha in 2019 and followed up with a spot in the Olympic final in Tokyo last season, her first.

At the meet on Friday, Tokyo Olympics 1500m gold medallist Jakob Ingerbrigsten set a new indoor world record for the 1500m when he ran a time of 3:30.60.

Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, the Olympic triple jump champion and world record holder, won the long jump with a leap of 6.81m.