Wanyonyi’s 1000m World Record officially ratified

Athlete Emmanuel Wanyonyi/X

Kenyan middle-distance star Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s historic 1000m world record has officially been ratified by World Athletics, confirming his record-breaking performance as one of the standout moments in athletics this season.

Wanyonyi clocked 2:11.83 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on July 10, 2026, becoming the first athlete in almost 27 years to break the men’s 1000m world record.

The Kenyan’s performance erased a record that had stood since September 5, 1999, when compatriot Noah Ngeny ran 2:11.96 in Rieti, Italy.

Wanyonyi’s mark improved on Ngeny’s long-standing record by 0.13 seconds, adding another chapter to Kenya’s rich history in middle-distance running.

The 21-year-old produced the record-breaking performance on his debut over the distance, making his achievement even more remarkable.

He stayed behind the pacemakers through the opening stages, reaching 400m in 50.95 seconds before passing 800m in 1:45.11.

Wanyonyi then moved to the front as the race entered its decisive stage and held off a strong challenge from Britain’s Jake Wightman on the final lap.

He crossed the line in 2:11.83 to win the race, while Wightman finished second in 2:12.77.

World Athletics has now included Wanyonyi’s performance among three new world records officially ratified, alongside Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo’s half-marathon mark and American hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp’s 110m hurdles record.

“RATIFIED. New world records have officially been written in the history books,” the body posted on its official platforms.

Kiplimo’s record was set at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon on March 8, where the Ugandan clocked 57:20 to take 10 seconds off the previous ratified world record of 57:30 set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia on October 27, 2024.

Kiplimo returned to Lisbon, the city where he had set his first world record over the distance in 2021, and produced another dominant performance despite racing without pacemakers.

He passed the 5km mark in 13:28 and reached 10km in 27:00 alongside Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir.

The pair remained together through 15km, which they reached in 40:52, before Kiplimo accelerated over the next five kilometres in 13:31 to pull away and win in 57:20.

Kiplimo’s record, however, has since been surpassed by Kejelcha, who ran 56:51 at the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires on August 23, 2026.

The Ethiopian’s performance is still subject to the usual ratification process.

Meanwhile, Tharp broke one of the longest-standing men’s track world records when he clocked 12.75 seconds in the 110m hurdles at the NCAA Championships in Eugene on June 10.

The 20-year-old American produced the record in the semi-finals, improving significantly on his previous personal best of 13.01.

His 12.75, run with a legal following wind of 1.0 metres per second, lowered the previous world record of 12.80 set by fellow American Aries Merritt in Brussels on September 7, 2012.

Tharp therefore ended a 14-year reign for Merritt’s mark, becoming the latest athlete to enter the record books alongside Wanyonyi and Kiplimo.

World Athletics said the three performances had now been officially ratified, giving them formal recognition in the organisation’s world record listings after completing the required verification process.