Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha breaks half marathon world record, clocks stunning 56:51

BUENOS AIRES: Nearly two years after first setting the men’s world half marathon record, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha once again rewrote the record books, clocking a stunning 56 minutes 51 seconds* at the Media Maraton Ciudad de Buenos Aires, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (August 23).

Kejelcha shattered the world record in the Argentine capital, improving the yet-to-be-ratified mark of 57:20 by a remarkable 29 seconds. The previous record was set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon in March, as per Olympics.com. If ratified, Sunday’s performance would see Kejelcha reclaim the world record he previously set in Valencia in October 2024, when he clocked 57:30.

WORLD RECORD

Yomif Kejelcha breaks the half marathon WORLD RECORD in 56:51 at the Buenos Aires Half Marathon. pic.twitter.com/WRVY6mgGj3

— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) August 23, 2026

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo had recorded an even faster time of 56:42 in Barcelona last year, but the mark could not be ratified as a world record because the race conditions did not fully comply with World Athletics regulations. The two-time Olympian is now the fastest man over the half marathon distance and the second-fastest man in history over the marathon.

In April, the 29-year-old Ethiopian became only the second man in history to officially break the two-hour barrier in the marathon. He clocked 1:59:41 in London to finish second behind Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe, who won in a world record time of 1:59:30.

Kejelcha’s compatriot Fotyen Tesfay won the women’s race in Buenos Aires, crossing the finish line in 1:03:57. (ANI)