Emmanuel Wanyonyi breaks men’s road mile world record in Germany

Emmanuel Wanyonyi has set a new men’s road mile world record at the Adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany. 

The World 800m silver medallist achieved a remarkable time of 3:54.5, surpassing the previous record of 3:56.13 held by American Hobbs Kessler.

Kessler, the former record holder, also participated in this race, finishing closely behind Wanyonyi with a time of 3:56.1, which places him second. 

Ryan Mphahlele of South Africa completed the podium, securing third place with a time of 3:56.4. 

Earlier in the day, Canada's Marco Arop, who dethroned Wanyonyi at the World Championships in Budapest last year, clinched victory in the road 800m with a time of 1:45. 

The road mile was officially recognized as a world record discipline in September 2023, adding an extra layer of prestige to Wanyonyi’s achievement. 

While the world record for the mile on track remains at 3:43.13, set by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999, Wanyonyi's performance is a landmark for road racing.

In the women's events, notable performances included Kenya's Agnes Ngetich, who came tantalizingly close to breaking the women-only world record for the 10km, missing the record by two seconds. 

Ngetich's time of 30:03 was just two seconds shy of the record set by the late Agnes Tirop in 2021. Athletes paid tribute to Tirop by wearing limited-edition kits in her honor.

Adding to the record-breaking day, Medina Eisa from the world U20 category set a new record in the women’s road 5km, clocking in at 14:38. 

This is the fastest time ever recorded by an U20 athlete in this category underscoring the depth of talent present at the event.

Follow us on X (Twitter) for more updates