NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan middle-distance star Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s 1,000m world record has officially been ratified by World Athletics, formally confirming his historic 2:11.83 performance in Monaco.
Wanyonyi set the record 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 1,000m world record.
His mark erased the previous record of 2:11.96, set by fellow Kenyan Noah Ngeny in Rieti, Italy, on September 5, 1999.
Wanyonyi improved Ngeny’s mark by 0.13 seconds, extending Kenya’s remarkable tradition in middle-distance athletics.
Wanyonyi breaks 27-year-old record
The 21-year-old produced the record on his debut over 1,000m, making the performance even more notable.
He remained behind the pacemakers during the early stages of the race, passing the 400m mark in 50.95 seconds before reaching 800m in 1:45.11.
Wanyonyi then moved to the front as the race entered its decisive stages and held off a strong challenge from Britain’s Jake Wightman on the final lap.
The Kenyan crossed the finish line in 2:11.83 to win the race, with Wightman finishing second in 2:12.77.
The performance immediately emerged as one of the defining moments of the 2026 athletics season, but its status as a world record required formal verification and ratification by World Athletics.
World Athletics confirms record
World Athletics has now listed Wanyonyi’s performance among three newly ratified world records.
The organisation also confirmed records achieved by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in the half marathon and American hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp in the 110m hurdles.
“RATIFIED. New world records have officially been written in the history books,” World Athletics said in a post on its official platforms.
The ratification gives Wanyonyi’s performance formal recognition in the organisation’s official world-record listings after completion of the required verification process.
Wanyonyi ends Ngeny’s long reign
Wanyonyi’s achievement brings an end to one of the longest-standing records in men’s middle-distance running.
Ngeny’s 2:11.96 had remained untouched since 1999, surviving nearly three decades of competition from some of the world’s leading middle-distance runners.
Wanyonyi’s breakthrough is particularly significant for Kenya, which has produced a long line of world-class 800m and middle-distance athletes.
The record also adds another major achievement to Wanyonyi’s rapidly developing career.
Kiplimo’s half-marathon record also ratified
Uganda’s Kiplimo set his newly ratified half-marathon world record at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon on March 8, 2026.
He clocked 57:20, taking 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, where he had previously set his first world record over the distance in 2021, and produced another dominant performance despite racing without pacemakers.
He passed 5km in 13:28 and reached 10km in 27:00, running alongside Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir.
The pair remained together through 15km, reached in 40:52, before Kiplimo accelerated over the next five kilometres in 13:31 to pull away and win in 57:20.
Kejelcha subsequently runs faster
Kiplimo’s newly ratified record has since been surpassed on the track by Kejelcha, who ran 56:51 at the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires on August 23, 2026.
Kejelcha’s performance remains subject to the standard World Athletics ratification process.
If ratified, it would become the new men’s half-marathon world record, replacing Kiplimo’s 57:20.
Tharp breaks 110m hurdles record
The third newly ratified record belongs to American hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp, who clocked 12.75 seconds in the 110m hurdles at the NCAA Championships in Eugene on June 10.
The 20-year-old produced the record in the semi-finals, improving substantially on his previous personal best of 13.01.
His time was achieved with a legal following wind of 1.0 metres per second, allowing the performance to qualify for world-record consideration.
Tharp’s 12.75 lowered the previous world record of 12.80 seconds, set by fellow American Aries Merritt in Brussels on September 7, 2012.
The mark ended Merritt’s 14-year reign and placed Tharp alongside Wanyonyi and Kiplimo among the athletes whose world records have now received formal ratification.
Another milestone for Kenya
Wanyonyi’s world record represents another landmark moment for Kenyan athletics.
His ability to break a record that had survived since 1999, particularly on his first attempt at the distance, highlights the depth of Kenya’s middle-distance tradition.
The official ratification also removes any remaining uncertainty over the status of the Monaco performance.
With the 2:11.83 now formally recognised, Wanyonyi has become the latest Kenyan athlete to etch his name into the global athletics record books.
