The Gudaf Tsegay world record story has two chapters. On 9 February 2021 in Liévin, France, she ran the 1500m indoors in 3:53.09, and on 17 September 2023 in Eugene, USA, she won the 5000m in 14:00.21. World Athletics counts both as world records in her career. As of 22 October 2026 the indoor 1500m mark is still the world record, while the 5000m time has since been bettered and now stands as the Ethiopian record.
This page looks at each Gudaf Tsegay world record separately – the date, the meeting, what else she achieved that week – and then lists her national records and her best youth mark. For her full biography, see the main Gudaf Tsegay page.
Gudaf Tsegay world record in the indoor 1500m: 3:53.09
Liévin, 9 February 2021
The race took place at the Arena Stade Couvert in Liévin, a regular stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour. She was 24 at the time; her biggest senior medal until then was world championship bronze over 1500m in Doha in October 2019. In Liévin she finished in 3:53.09, a time World Athletics lists as a world, African and Ethiopian record for the 1500m on a short track.
The run started a remarkable spell. Five days later, on 14 February 2021, she clocked 1:57.52 for 800m indoors in Val-de-Reuil, an Ethiopian indoor record. By the end of that summer she had added Olympic bronze over 5000m in Tokyo.
Status as of 22 October 2026
World Athletics lists Gudaf Tsegay as the current world record holder in the women's 1500m short track as of 22 October 2026. In championships her fastest indoor 1500m is 3:54.86, which won her the world indoor title in Nanjing on 23 March 2025. Outdoors her best is 3:50.30, run in Xiamen on 20 April 2024 – faster than the indoor record, but outdoor and indoor marks are kept in separate lists.
Gudaf Tsegay 5000m world record: 14:00.21 in Eugene
Diamond League Final, 17 September 2023
The second mark came at Hayward Field in Eugene, at the Prefontaine Classic, which hosted the Diamond League Final in 2023. She won the 5000m in 14:00.21, which World Athletics recognised as a world record, and with it took the Diamond Trophy for the event. It capped her best year: a month earlier, on 19 August 2023, she had become world champion over 10,000m in Budapest, and in July 2023 she had won the 5000m at the London Diamond League in 14:12.29.
The 5000m had not always been her event. Her first race over the distance came at the 2018 Prefontaine Classic, where she finished fourth in 14:51.30 – about 51 seconds slower than her eventual record on the same track five years later.
Status as of 22 October 2026
The 14:00.21 is no longer the world record: it has since been bettered, and as of 22 October 2026 World Athletics lists it as a former world record. It remains the Ethiopian record for the women's 5000m and her personal best.
All her records, as of 22 October 2026
| Event | Mark | Date | Venue | Status on 22 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500m short track (indoor) | 3:53.09 | 9 Feb 2021 | Liévin (FRA) | World, African and Ethiopian record |
| 5000m | 14:00.21 | 17 Sep 2023 | Eugene (USA) | Former world record; Ethiopian record |
| 800m short track (indoor) | 1:57.52 | 14 Feb 2021 | Val-de-Reuil (FRA) | Ethiopian record |
| Mile | 4:11.88 | 19 Jul 2025 | London (GBR) | Ethiopian record |
The mile record came at the London Diamond League on 19 July 2025, where she won in 4:11.88. As a 17-year-old she also ran 4:08.47 for 1500m indoors in Stockholm in 2014, a world U18 best at the time.
Personal bests beyond the records
Her other bests, according to World Athletics as of 22 October 2026: 10,000m – 29:05.92 (Eugene, 25 May 2024); 3000m indoors – 8:16.69 (Birmingham, 25 February 2023); mile indoors – 4:16.16 (Toruń, 8 February 2023); 5 km road – 14:33 (Zürich, 7 September 2022); 10 km road – 32:18 (Jaén, 18 January 2020). These times show how far her range extends, from two-lap races to the road.
World Athletics rankings tell a similar story: by 22 October 2026 she had spent 79 weeks at No. 1 in the women's 5000m list, 26 weeks at the top of the 10,000m list and 19 weeks at No. 1 over 1500m.
Where to watch Gudaf Tsegay
She has not raced since 10 October 2025, and no return date had been announced as of 22 October 2026. Indoor Tour meetings – where she set her 1500m record – stream on World Athletics+, while Diamond League meetings have been carried in Ethiopia by SuperSport.
Official rights holders only, checked 22 October 2026. Rights change by event and season – check the broadcaster’s schedule before a race. We do not link to unofficial streams.
For her career and 2026 status, go to the Gudaf Tsegay profile; for the other runners in this section, see Ethiopian athletes. Marathon records are covered on the Tigst Assefa world record page.
FAQ about Gudaf Tsegay's records
What is Gudaf Tsegay's world record?
The women's indoor 1500m: 3:53.09, run in Liévin on 9 February 2021. As of 22 October 2026 it is the world record.
Is 14:00.21 the 5000m world record in 2026?
No. Her 14:00.21 from Eugene on 17 September 2023 was a world record but has since been bettered; as of 22 October 2026 it is the Ethiopian record.
How many world records has Gudaf Tsegay set?
World Athletics credits her with two world records in her career (as of 22 October 2026): the indoor 1500m in 2021 and the 5000m in 2023.
What is Gudaf Tsegay's 1500m personal best outdoors?
3:50.30, set when she won the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen on 20 April 2024.
Where did Gudaf Tsegay set the 5000m world record?
At Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, during the Diamond League Final (Prefontaine Classic) on 17 September 2023.