World record-breakers in 2023
World records from Gudaf Tsegay and Mondo Duplantis contributed to the Wanda Diamond League Final – held in Eugene on Saturday (16) and Sunday (17) – being the highest quality non-championship meeting in history based on competition performance ranking scores.
Along with the two senior world records* set in Eugene, there were also five Diamond League records, a world U20 record, nine area records, 14 meeting records and 14 world-leading marks, making the 2023 series final a highly memorable one.
All-time competition performance ranking
99,156 - 2023 Prefontaine Classic, Eugene (DL Final)
96,927 - 2022 Weltklasse, Zurich (DL Final)
96,763 - 2021 Weltklasse, Zurich (DL Final)
96,001 - 2019 Weltklasse, Zurich (DL Final)
95,985 - 2018 Herculis, Monaco
95,949 - 2015 Herculis, Monaco
95,753 - 2015 Prefontaine Classic, Eugene
95,715 - 2001 Weltklasse, Zurich
95,562 - 2015 Meeting de Paris, Paris
95,523 - 2017 Prefontaine Classic, Eugene
In Eugene on Sunday, Duplantis returned to the scene of his 2022 world title and added a centimetre to the world record he set earlier this year. In what was just his fourth jump of the competition, and in a series without any failures, he cleared 6.23m at the first time of asking.
Perhaps the biggest shock of the meeting, though, came from Tsegay, who took almost five seconds off Faith Kipyegon’s world record to win the 5000m in 14:00.21.
They were the latest standout performances in a 2023 track and field season where eight senior world records were set in individual track and field disciplines.
Kipyegon tore apart the record books in the middle of the season, setting world records for 1500m, 5000m and the mile. Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, meanwhile, set a 3000m steeplechase world record in Paris, while Ryan Crouser broke his own shot put world record in Los Angeles back in May. Little more than a week before winning the mile and 3000m double in Eugene, Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a world 2000m record in Brussels.
Individual senior world records set in outdoor track and field disciplines in 2023
Women’s 1500m: 3:49.11 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Florence, 2 June
Women’s 5000m: 14:05.20 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Paris, 9 June
Women’s mile: 4:07.64 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Monaco, 21 July*
Women’s 5000m: 14:00.21 Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) Eugene, 17 September*
Men’s shot put: 23.56m Ryan Crouser (USA) Los Angeles, 27 May*
Men’s 3000m steeplechase: 7:52.11 Lamecha Girma (ETH) Paris, 9 June
Men’s 2000m: 4:43.13 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Brussels, 8 September*
Men’s pole vault: 6.23m Mondo Duplantis (SWE) Eugene, 17 September*
*pending ratification
Including indoor, U20, road, and relay marks, there have been 29 world records in total set throughout 2023, 13 of which have already been ratified.
In the Diamond League alone, there were 18 Diamond League records set this year, 15 of which were in standard scoring disciplines.
As was the case in Eugene, where most of the record-breaking marks came about from enthralling duels among the world’s best athletes, there will be more excitement in store on 1 October when the Latvian capital hosts the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23 – the final global event of the year.
Kipyegon will have the opportunity to add a fourth world record to her 2023 tally as she contests the road mile for the first time.
