Ryan Gregson, three minutes 31.06 seconds, 1500 metres Australian record, Monaco Diamond League Meeting. Wow!

That would just about sum up the general reaction to Gregson’s performance. We knew he was good, knew he was that good even: but that good, this soon? Wow!

It’s not so easy to get ambushed by a result these days what with cable, live internet streaming, the 24-hour news cycle and Runner’s Tribe. It’s sobering to think that it was only 15 years ago _ 1995 _ that the IAAF went ‘live’, well live-ish, anyway, with internet cover of its Atlanta Grand Prix meeting held to mark the opening of the 1996 Olympic stadium.

Back then, even us mainstream media people had limited access to results. Unless it was big enough to make the morning radio news you had to wait until you got to the office to access the overnight results.

Now, however, many results are only as far away as the importance you place on them. Thus, if you have cable and an international sports channel, you can watch live in the middle of the night. Otherwise, you can log on to the internet as soon as you get up.

Performances such as Ryan Gregson’s in Monaco, however, transcend the technology to elicit a delighted ‘wow’. A ‘pb’ by four-and-a-half seconds, breaking a national record that had stood for 18 years, and all this from a man just turned 20 _ ‘wow’ barely covers it.

It was an amazing performance in an amazing race. Silas Kiplagat of Kenya improved by five seconds to win in 3:29.27, the fastest in the world this year, the fastest since 2006. He became the 19^th man to break 3:30, Amine Laalou, the Moroccan who followed him home, the 20^th.

Gus Choge, the Commonwealth Games 5000 metres champion, was third in 3:30.22. Choge was going to win in something like 3:28 before the ‘bear’ jumped on his back on the final bend. He had led by 10 metres at 1200.

Then came the two revelations _ Andrew Wheating, the US NCAA 800/1500 champion from Oregon, and Gregson _ in 3:30.90 and 3:31.06, respectively. Six of the first eight ran PBs, the other two _ Choge and Bernard Lagat _ their fastest of the year.

Kiplagat’s previous best _ if you had looked hard enough _ was a 3:34.28 chasing Asbel Kiprop home in the Kenyan championships. Among those he beat was Nicholas Kemboi, who before Monaco held the year’s fastest time, so he was obviously more than handy.

So ‘wow’ it was, for Gregson and all-round.