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Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha became the third-fastest men’s 10km of all time after winning 26:37 in Laredo, Spain.

This means the 26-year-old Ethiopian closed in on the record set by Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto in Valencia four years ago. Kipruto, with his world record of 26:24, and Berihu Aregawi, with his 26:33 run in Laredo last year, are the athletes who have gone faster than Kejelcha.

Meanwhile, Kejelcha and his teammate Addisu Yihune went through the opening kilometres at a steady 2:38 pace.

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda was a few metres behind in the company of his own pacemaker, his compatriot Naman Kipyeko. However, the world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder began to lose ground some six minutes into the race. By the third kilometre, Kejelcha became a virtual victor as he had built a seven-second gap on the Ugandan, with 7:54 and 8:01 their respective times at that point, according to World Athletics.

Kejelcha overtook his compatriot Yihune before reaching the fourth kilometre and from then on, it was a solo run by the two-time world indoor 3000m champion. He went through halfway in a promising 13:10 as Cheptegei ran nine seconds in arrears in the company of Yihune. 

Over the second half, Kejelcha maintained a frantic rhythm in the 2:38–2:40 per kilometre range to increase his advantage over Cheptegei.

Closing stages

Over the closing two kilometres, Kejelcha could not maintain the pace on his own, and despite his huge effort, he romped home 13 seconds shy of the coveted mark and four seconds off the Ethiopian record.

Cheptegei finished in 26:53, his third-quickest time and 15 seconds slower than the then-world record of 26:38 he set in Valencia in December 2019. 

Surprisingly, the 20-year-old pacemaker Yihune completed the race in a massive lifetime best of 27:28.

“I came to Laredo to break the world record, but it was not possible. I felt some discomfort in my hip around the eighth kilometre and could not maintain my speed,” Kejelcha told World Athletics.

After the race, Cheptegi revealed that his main goal was to get the Olympic 10,000m standard of 27:00, and he expressed his happiness at having reached that target two weeks before he competes at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade.