Ethiopian runner Yomif Kejelcha reclaimed the world half marathon record on Aug. 23, running 56 minutes 51 seconds at the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires and becoming the first man to break 57 minutes on a record-eligible course.
The run sliced 29 seconds off the previous record of 57:20, set by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon in March, according to World Athletics. It was Kejelcha's second time holding the record; he first set it at 57:30 in Valencia in October 2024 before Kiplimo took it over. A separate Kiplimo run of 56:42 in Barcelona was faster still but was never ratified because the course did not meet World Athletics' record-eligibility standards, leaving Kejelcha's Buenos Aires time as the fastest properly recognized mark, pending routine ratification.
I'm over the moon. I'm super happy and right now I don't feel any tiredness. This time is unbelievable; I can't describe it with words.
Yomif Kejelcha, via Olympics.com
Kejelcha, 29, delivered that reaction immediately after crossing the line, per Olympics.com's report from the race. The result caps a breakout year on the roads for a runner best known previously for his track credentials, including a world indoor 5,000m record. In April, Kejelcha made his marathon debut in London in 1:59:40, the fastest first marathon ever run by a man, fueling speculation about how far his times over the longer distance might eventually fall.
Buenos Aires' flat, fast course and cool late-summer conditions in the Southern Hemisphere have made it an increasingly popular target for road-record attempts in recent years, drawing elite fields assembled specifically to help pace record chases. Kejelcha's run now sits atop the sport's official record books, though distance-running observers note the men's half marathon record has changed hands repeatedly over the past two years as training and pacing techniques continue to push times down.
World Athletics said Kejelcha's performance will go through standard doping-control and course-verification procedures before the record is formally ratified, a process that typically takes several weeks.
