Ethiopian runner Yomif Kejelcha has regained the world half marathon record with a time of 56:51 at a race in Buenos Aires, surpassing Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo's previous mark.
Ethiopian distance runner Yomif Kejelcha set a new world half marathon record on Sunday at the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires, clocking 56:51 in the World Athletics Label-sanctioned event. The performance improved upon Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda's existing record of 57:20, which was established in Lisbon this March but remains pending official ratification by World Athletics.
Kejelcha's achievement represents his return to the top of the half marathon rankings. He had previously held the world record with a time of 57:30 set in Valencia in October 2024, before Kiplimo's March performance. The 29-second improvement demonstrated by Kejelcha in Buenos Aires underscores the competitive nature of elite half marathon running.
Notably, Kiplimo had recorded an even faster time of 56:42 in Barcelona last year, but this performance could not be ratified as a world record due to the race not meeting World Athletics' technical requirements and compliance standards.
In the women's competition held alongside the men's race in Buenos Aires, Ethiopia's Fotyen Tesfay won decisively with a time of 1:03:57, showcasing Ethiopian dominance in the half marathon event on the day.
