Faith Kipyegon part of three Kenyans to have world records ratified

Three world records set by Kenyan runners over the past seven months were among those ratified by the World Athletics on Saturday 27 July. 

Faith Kipyegon’s 1500m, Beatrice Chebet’s 5km and Agnes Jebet Ngetich's 10km records were officially recognised alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Mondo Duplantis, and Mykolas Alekna’s marks.

Chebet brought her 2023 season to a close in memorable fashion on Sunday 31 December, winning over the 5km event on the roads of Barcelona in 14:13.

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The world cross-country champion took 16 seconds off the women-only world record set by Senbere Teferi in Herzogenaurach back in September 2021.

Just two weeks later in Valencia, Chebet’s fellow Kenyan Jebet, produced a similar stunning performance on the roads, clocking 28:46 over 10km in a mixed race. Her half-way split of 14:13 was also a world record.

Ngetich shaved 28 seconds off the previous world 10km record set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in Castellon back in February 2022, while her 5km mark was a six-second improvement on Ejgayehu Taye’s world record, set in Barcelona in December 2021.

On her part, Kipyegon improved on her world record, clocking 3:49.04 over 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris, taking 0.07 off the record she set in Florence in June 2023.

Meanwhile, Alekna turned heads at the start of the outdoor season earlier this year when he threw 74.35m to win the discus at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in Ramona.

In so doing, the 21-year-old broke the long-standing world record set by East Germany’s Jurgen Schult in June 1986.

Just six days later, another men’s field event world record fell, this time courtesy of Duplantis. The world and Olympic champion won the pole vault at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen with 6.24m, adding a centimetre to the record he set at the Diamond League Final in Eugene last year.

At the US Olympic Trials in June, Sydney clocked a world 400m hurdles record of 50.65, shaving 0.03 off the record she set when winning the world title in July 2022. It was her fifth world record in the discipline and her fourth set at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

McLaughlin-Levrone, Duplantis, Kipyegon, Chebet, and Alekna will all be in action at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

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Women’s world 5km record (women-only)

14:13 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) Barcelona, 31 December 2023

Women’s world 5km record (mixed)

14:13 Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) Valencia, 14 January 2024

Women’s world 10km record (mixed)

28:46 Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) Valencia, 14 January 2024

Men’s world discus record

74.35m Mykolas Alekna (LTU) Ramona, 14 April 2024

Men’s world pole vault record

6.24m Mondo Duplantis (SWE) Xiamen, 20 April 2024

Women’s World 400m hurdles record

50.65 Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) Eugene, 30 June 2024

Women’s World 1500m record

3:49.04 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Paris, 7 July 2024