Grant Fisher celebrates his world indoor 3000m record in New York (© Josh Sawyer)
The year is off to a blistering start. Already seven senior world records have been set, all within the space of nine days.
With little more than a month until the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 on 21-23 March, and as athletes continue to work towards the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September, strong statements are being made.
8 February
Men’s indoor 3000m – Grant Fisher (USA)
Double Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher runs 7:22.91 at the Millrose Games, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting, in New York to break the world indoor 3000m record of 7:23.81 that had been set by Lamecha Girma in Lievin in 2023. Cole Hocker finishes second in 7:23.14, also inside Girma’s record.
Men’s indoor mile – Yared Nuguse (USA)
Little more than an hour after Grant Fisher’s run, Yared Nuguse makes history of his own in New York by winning the Wanamaker Mile in a world indoor record of 3:46.63.
He also passes 1500m in a North American indoor record of 3:31.75. Hobbs Kessler takes second place in 3:46.90, also inside Yomif Kejelcha’s world indoor record of 3:47.01 set in Boston in 2019.
The record-breaking doesn’t stop there. In third, Cam Myers sets an outright world U20 record of 3:47.48, having passed 1500m in a world U20 indoor record of 3:32.67.
13 February
Men’s indoor mile – Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
Just five days after Yared Nuguse set a world indoor mile record in New York, Jakob Ingebrigtsen goes one better at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF, also a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting, in Lievin.
He runs 3:45.14, a significant improvement on the 3:46.63 achieved by Nuguse.
Men’s indoor 1500m – Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
But that’s not all. En route to his historic mile, Ingebrigtsen passes through 1500m in 3:29.63, taking almost a second off the world indoor record of 3:30.60 he set on the same track in 2022.
14 February
Men’s indoor 5000m – Grant Fisher (USA)
Less than a week after he set a world indoor 3000m record in New York, Grant Fisher adds another world indoor record to his CV, this time over 5000m at the BU David Hemery Valentine International in Boston.
He crosses the finish line in 12:44.09 for a five-second improvement on the previous world indoor 5000m record of 12:49.60 set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2004.
16 February
Men’s 20km race walk – Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN)
Focus turns from the track to the roads. First up is Toshikazu Yamanishi, who smashes the world 20km race walk record at the Japanese 20km Race Walking Championships, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Bronze event, in Kobe.
Toshikazu Yamanishi on his way to a world 20km race walk record in Kobe (© JAAF / Ikumi Kodama)
Clocking 1:16:10, the two-time world champion improves the previous world record of 1:16:36 set by Yusuke Suzuki in Nomi in 2015 by 26 seconds.
Men’s half marathon – Jacob Kiplimo (UGA)
That same day, Jacob Kiplimo makes history in the half marathon.
Jacob Kiplimo runs a world half marathon record in Barcelona (© Daniel Meumann for Sportmedia.es)
Racing at the at the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, he runs 56:42 to obliterate the world half marathon record – beating Yomif Kejelcha’s previous world record of 57:30 by 48 seconds for the greatest single improvement on the men’s world half marathon record.
