Each Yomif Kejelcha record comes with a date and a status, and in October 2026 those statuses differ. His 56:51 half marathon from Buenos Aires (23 August 2026) is awaiting ratification, his 26:31 for 10 km on the road (Castellón, 16 February 2025) is a standing world record, and his 3:47.01 indoor mile from Boston (3 March 2019) is a former world record that he still holds as an African and Ethiopian record.
Kejelcha is a two-time world indoor champion who moved from the track to the roads; his career is covered race by race on the main Yomif Kejelcha page. This page only deals with the marks, where they were set and how they stand as of 22 October 2026.
Yomif Kejelcha records at a glance
| Event | Mark | Date | Venue | Status as of 22 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half marathon | 56:51 | 23 Aug 2026 | Buenos Aires | World and African record pending ratification; Ethiopian record |
| Half marathon | 57:30 | 27 Oct 2024 | Valencia | Former world record |
| 10 km road | 26:31 | 16 Feb 2025 | Castellón | World record; Ethiopian record |
| Marathon | 1:59:41 | 26 Apr 2026 | London | Ethiopian record |
| Mile (indoor) | 3:47.01 | 3 Mar 2019 | Boston | Former world record; African and Ethiopian record |
| 2000m (indoor) | 4:57.74 | 28 Feb 2014 | Metz | World U20 best; African U20 best |
Yomif Kejelcha half marathon record
The half marathon is where Kejelcha has made the biggest mark. He has run a world record over 21.1 km twice, once in Europe and once in South America.
56:51 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 23 August 2026
At the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires on 23 August 2026, Kejelcha won in 56:51. That was 29 seconds faster than the 57:20 Jacob Kiplimo ran in Lisbon in March 2026. World Athletics reported the run as a world record, and in his profile the time carries a "pending" flag for both the world and the African record. As of 22 October 2026 the record has not yet been ratified; once it is, it becomes the newest world mark in the Yomif Kejelcha record list. It is already his personal best and the Ethiopian record. The run came four months after his marathon debut in London.
57:30 in Valencia, 27 October 2024
His first half marathon world record came at the Valencia Half Marathon on 27 October 2024, where he won in 57:30. That mark stood as the world record until Kiplimo ran 57:20 in Lisbon in March 2026; a faster time Kiplimo ran in 2025 (56:42) was not ratified as a record. Valencia has been a good city for Kejelcha – he also won the half marathon there in 59:05 on 27 October 2019 and in 58:02 on 26 October 2025.
The 10 km road world record: 26:31 in Castellón
On 16 February 2025, at the 10K Facsa Castellón in Spain, Kejelcha won in 26:31. As of 22 October 2026 it is the world record for 10 km on the road and the Ethiopian record. He had already shown his form at the distance a year earlier, winning the 10 km in Laredo on 16 March 2024 in 26:37.
The road mark is all the more remarkable because it matches his track best almost to the second: he ran 26:31.01 for 10,000m on the track in Nerja on 14 June 2024.
The indoor mile record from Boston, 2019
On 3 March 2019 in Boston, Kejelcha ran the indoor mile in 3:47.01, a world record at the time. His 1500m best of 3:31.25 dates from the same race. The world record stood until February 2025, when Yared Nuguse ran faster. As of 22 October 2026, 3:47.01 is still the African record and the Ethiopian record for the indoor mile.
National and youth marks
Ethiopian marathon record: 1:59:41
His second place at the London Marathon on 26 April 2026 in 1:59:41 is the Ethiopian record as of 22 October 2026. How that debut unfolded, and where he runs next, is covered on the Yomif Kejelcha marathon page.
World U20 best over 2000m indoors
The oldest line in the Yomif Kejelcha record book dates from his junior years: on 28 February 2014 in Metz, he ran 4:57.74 for 2000m indoors. World Athletics lists it as a world U20 best and an African U20 best. Among his other bests, none of them records, are 7:23.64 for 3000m (Eugene, 17 September 2023) and 12:38.95 for 5000m (Oslo, 30 May 2024).
Where to watch Kejelcha race next
Fast road times are usually set at flat city races such as Valencia, where Kejelcha is entered for the marathon on 6 December 2026 (confirmed by the organisers on 2 July 2026, as of 22 October 2026). The race is streamed on the organisers' website; for 2025 A Punt was listed as a free worldwide stream and StarTimes and SuperSport as pay-TV options in Ethiopia. Global championships, such as the World Road Running Championships in Yangzhou (reported for 27 March 2027), are free-to-air in Ethiopia on Hagerie TV.
Free-to-air TV
Pay TV
Free-to-air TV
Free online
Free online
Free onlineOfficial 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.
The official record of every mark is kept on his World Athletics profile. For the other Ethiopian record holders, see our Ethiopian athletes overview.
Yomif Kejelcha world record FAQ
What is Yomif Kejelcha's world record?
As of 22 October 2026 he holds the ratified 10 km road world record of 26:31 (Castellón, 16 February 2025). His 56:51 half marathon from 23 August 2026 is a world record pending ratification.
What is Yomif Kejelcha's half marathon record?
His best is 56:51, set in Buenos Aires on 23 August 2026. Before that his best was 57:30 from Valencia on 27 October 2024, a world record at the time.
What did Yomif Kejelcha run in Argentina?
He won the Buenos Aires half marathon on 23 August 2026 in 56:51, which awaits ratification as a world record as of 22 October 2026.
Does Kejelcha still hold the indoor mile world record?
No. His 3:47.01 from 3 March 2019 was beaten in February 2025, but as of 22 October 2026 it remains the African and Ethiopian record.