BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, August 23 — Perhaps it was only a matter of time, a stunningly fast time achieved with negative splits. Yomif Kejelcha is, after all, history’s fastest marathon debutant (1:59:41 at London in April). The 29-year-old Ethiopian had also previously set a half-marathon World Record, 57:30 at Valencia in October ’24.
It would have been premature to wager the man who set an indoor mile WR (3:47.01) in 2019 and won two World Indoor 3000 golds in 2016 and ’18 was finished with getting faster. At the Buenos Aires Half-Marathon, Kejelcha again proved his mettle as he recaptured the WR.
Racing with relative caution early on as low 40s temperatures and mild breezes marked the morning in the Argentinian capital, Kejelcha closed like a freight train to cut 29 seconds from the pending World Record (57:20) run by Jacob Kiplimo in March. The time fell just short of Kiplimo’s 56:42 from February of ’25 — never ratified as a record due to “irregular conditions,” presumably that the Ugandan had followed a pace vehicle so closely it served as a wind break.
Proceedings here initially belied record intent. Towed along by two pacemakers asked to run 58:00 pace (2:45 kilometers), Kejelcha reached 5K in 13:45 — 17 seconds adrift of Kiplimo’s figure in the 57:20 race. He sailed past the 10K post in 27:19, now 19 seconds behind the WR template.
Then Kejelcha, throwing frequent glances at his watch, shifted up. He cranked the next 5km in 13:22 for a 40:41 split at 15K, 9 seconds ahead of Kiplimo. With the wind at his back for the next 5km segment, he blasted it in 13:23 (54:04 at 20K to finish off the second 10K in 26:45).
By now the leader — who would cross the line nearly a full kilometer ahead — had no doubt the record was in play and he rushed through the closing 1100m in 2:47.
“I had planned to run conservatively over the early stages,” Kejelcha told World Athletics, “but I felt good and decided to give it my all. This time is unbelievable; I can’t describe it with words. I now hope to try the Argentinian meat, which has a very good reputation.”
The circumstances for women’s winner Fotyen Tesfay in two respects mirrored Kejelcha’s. She’s Ethiopian (28 years old) and came in as history’s second-fastest all-time marathoner; she won Barcelona in March with a 2:10:51 clocking.
Here she won from Kenya’s Nelvin Jepkemboi (65:06) by more than a minute timed in 63:57. The mark slots at No. 7 on the all-time performance list although Tesfay has two faster times, 63:21 in ’24 and 63:35 last year.
BUENOS AIRES HALF-MARATHON
Men
1. Yomif Kejelcha (Eth) 56:51 WR (old WR—57:20 Jacob Kiplimo [Uga] ’26) (13:45, 13:34 [27:19], 13:22 [40:41], 13:23 [54:04], 2:47);
2. Tadese Worku (Eth) 59:20; 3. Bereket Nega (Eth) 60:20; 4. Jonathan Kamosong (Ken) 60:21; 5. Simon Maywa (Ken) 60:57; 6. Ignacio Erario (Arg) 60:59 PR; 7. Dillon Kipyeko (Uga) 61:09 PR; 8. Robert Koech (Ken) 62:03.
Women
1. Fotyen Tesfay (Eth) 63:57 (WL) (x, 7 W) (15:26, 15:03 [30:29], 14:56 [45:25], 15:17 [60:42], 3:15);
2. Nelvin Jepkemboi (Ken) 65:06 PR; 3. Catherine Amanangole (Ken) 65:11 PR; 4. Irene Kimais (Ken) 66:04; 5. Sheila Chepkirui (Ken) 66:13 PR; 6. Margaret Akidor (Ken) 66:46 PR; 7. Deborah Samum (Ken) 68:32 PR.
