An Ethiopian Rewrote the Half-Marathon Record in Buenos Aires
ETHIOPIA · ATHLETICS
Key Facts
—The time: Yomif Kejelcha ran 56 minutes and 51 seconds at the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires on Sunday 23 August 2026.
—The margin: That is 29 seconds inside the pending mark of 57:20 set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon on 8 March 2026.
—The race: He broke clear at seven kilometres, passed 15 kilometres in 40:41 and ran the last fourteen alone, finishing 2 minutes 29 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
—Not yet official: The mark is subject to the usual World Athletics ratification procedure, as is Kiplimo’s 57:20.
—The runner: Kejelcha, born on 1 August 1997, held this record himself at 57:30 in Valencia in October 2024 and holds the world 10 kilometre road record of 26:31.
—The women’s race: Fotyen Tesfay of Ethiopia won in 1:03:57, a course record, ahead of Kenya’s Nelvin Jepkemboi in 1:05:06.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha ran 56 minutes and 51 seconds in Buenos Aires on Sunday 23 August 2026. The mark was logged by AIMS, the association of international marathons. It is a half marathon world record subject to ratification, and the first run under 57 minutes World Athletics has not rejected. He did most of it alone.
How the race unfolded
The Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires started at 8am from Avenida Figueroa Alcorta and Dorrego in Palermo, in six degrees. Organisers had redrawn the route for 2026, cutting the motorway sections and sending runners down 9 de Julio and Avenida del Libertador.
Kejelcha broke away at seven kilometres and never saw company again. He passed 15 kilometres in 40:41, eleven seconds inside Kiplimo’s split from Lisbon in March.
He crossed in 56:51, two minutes and 29 seconds clear of the runner-up. Some Argentine coverage reported 56:50, which is his net time; records run on official time.
What the half marathon world record now is
The mark Kejelcha beat was Kiplimo’s 57:20, set at the Lisbon half marathon on 8 March 2026. Both times remain subject to the usual World Athletics ratification procedure.
The sub-57 barrier has a more complicated history than the headlines suggest. Kiplimo ran 56:42 in Barcelona in February 2025. World Athletics declined to ratify it in February 2026 because a lead vehicle had offered a slipstream.
So the accurate framing is narrow and worth keeping. Kejelcha is the first man under 57 minutes in conditions World Athletics has not rejected.
There is one further wrinkle for the ratification file. The Buenos Aires course was new for 2026, and a new layout requires its own certification.
The runner who already owned this record
Kejelcha turned 29 on 1 August, three weeks before the race. He is not a newcomer to the distance or to this particular record.
He held it himself at 57:30, set in Valencia on 27 October 2024, before Kiplimo took it. He also holds the world 10 kilometre road record of 26:31, set in Castellón in February 2025 and ratified in June 2026.
His marathon debut was extraordinary by any measure. At the 2026 London Marathon, he ran 1:59:41, finishing second. Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe won in 1:59:30, marking the first time two men broke two hours in one race.
That result reframes Sunday rather than overshadowing it. A runner capable of two hours over the full distance was always going to be dangerous over half of it.
Why Buenos Aires
Argentina is not where distance records usually fall, and that is part of what makes this interesting. The race is organised by the Asociación Ñandú and carries a World Athletics road label.
It is also large. Organisers reported about 31,500 registered runners. Roughly 6,000 travelled from outside Argentina.
Ethiopia took both titles. Fotyen Tesfay won the women’s race in 1:03:57, a course record, one minute and nine seconds ahead of Kenya’s Nelvin Jepkemboi.
The winter timing helps explain the result. A southern-hemisphere August offers cool, still conditions at a point in the calendar when the European road-racing season has not yet restarted.
The quiet economics of East African running
Ethiopian distance running is an export industry, and it is worth reading it that way. Appearance fees, shoe sponsorships, and prize money flow back into a few highland towns. Altitude-camp tourism in Bekoji and Addis Ababa also adds to their income.
A record set on another continent raises the price of every future appearance. It also raises the value of the Argentine race, which has just acquired something no amount of marketing can buy.
Race organisers understand this arithmetic well. A world record turns a big regional event into an international one. Entry fees, hotel nights, and sponsorship rates follow within a season or two.
East Africa and Latin America rarely meet in one result. This is a rare moment for readers who follow both regions. A Buenos Aires morning now sits in the record books next to Valencia and Lisbon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new half marathon world record?
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia ran 56 minutes and 51 seconds at the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires on 23 August 2026. The mark is subject to World Athletics ratification.
Whose record did he break?
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who ran 57:20 in Lisbon on 8 March 2026. That mark was itself still pending ratification.
Was this the first sub-57 half marathon?
Not quite. Kiplimo ran 56:42 in Barcelona in February 2025. World Athletics declined to ratify it because the race conditions were not fully compliant.
How old is Yomif Kejelcha?
He was born on 1 August 1997 and turned 29 three weeks before the race.
Who won the women’s race?
Fotyen Tesfay of Ethiopia, in a course record 1:03:57, ahead of Kenya’s Nelvin Jepkemboi in 1:05:06.
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