Emmanuel Wanyonyi smashes road world mile record with 3:54.56 in Germany
Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the world 800m silver medallist, broke the world road mile record with a stunning time of 3:54.56 at the adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany, on Saturday, April 27. This milestone marked a remarkable debut for the 19-year-old Kenyan, who opted to step up to the mile instead of racing in his specialized distance.
Wanyonyi's achievement surpassed the previous world record of 3:56.13, set by USA's Hobbs Kessler at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga in October. Despite celebrating his win before crossing the finish line, Wanyonyi managed to maintain his lead, with Kessler finishing close behind in 3:56.18. South Africa’s Ryan Mphahlele took third place with a time of 3:56.45.
The race's early pace was set by the pacemaker, but Wanyonyi quickly moved to the front of the group, catching and passing him with 90 seconds on the clock. Kessler made a move to challenge Wanyonyi at the 1200m mark, but Wanyonyi responded with a powerful kick, glancing at Kessler as he surged ahead.
In the final stretch, Wanyonyi began his victory celebrations early, pointing toward the finish line before crossing it in record time. Afterward, he expressed his delight with his performance, acknowledging the challenge of breaking the world record but crediting his coach for inspiring him to achieve it.
RESULTS ELITE MEN MILE
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WANYONYI EMMANUEL | KEN | 3:54.50 |
| 2 | KESSLER HOBBS | USA | 3:56.10 |
| 3 | MPHALELE RYAN | RSA | 3:56.40 |
| 4 | SIMOTWO CHARLES | KEN | 3:58.70 |
| 5 | KIBIWOTT KOECH COLLINS | KEN | 4:00.10 |
| 6 | MCLUCKIE HENRY | GBR | 4:01.20 |
| 7 | PRAKEL SAM | USA | 4:02.20 |
| 8 | RYAN PAUL | USA | 4:04.90 |
| 9 | DAVIS ARCHIE | GBR | 4:09.50 |
| 10 | WEGENE CHALA ADISU | ETH | 4:10.80 |
| 11 | AVILA ERIC | USA | 4:12.50 |
Other events at the adizero Road to Records included a men's road 800m, won by Canada's Marco Arop in 1:44:30, and a women's mile, where Kenya's Nelly Chepchirchir claimed victory with a time of 4:30.93.
Kenya's Agnes Ngetich almost set the women's-only world 10km record, clocking 30:03, just two seconds off the record set by the late Agnes Tirop in 2021. On this occasion, the athletes honored Tirop by wearing special kit. Margaret Chelimo took second place with a time of 30:39, and Jesca Chelangat finished third with 30:46.
In the women's 5km, Ethiopia's world U20 5000m champion Medina Eisa clocked a winning 14:38, marking the fastest women's road 5km by an U20 athlete. She was followed by Melknat Wudu, just two seconds behind, with Fotyen Tesfay completing the Ethiopian top three in 14:41.
The men's 5km was won by Ethiopia's two-time world indoor 3000m champion Yomif Kejelcha with a time of 13:00, five seconds ahead of Addisu Yihune. Kenya's Nicholas Kipkorir took the men's 10km title with 27:05, narrowly beating Sabastian Sawe, the world half marathon champion.
