Ethiopian distance runner Yomif Kejelcha has reclaimed the men's half marathon world record, clocking 56 minutes and 51 seconds at a World Athletics road race in Buenos Aires on Sunday — smashing the previous record by a remarkable 29 seconds, subject to official ratification.

The 29-year-old has traded the record back and forth with Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo over recent years. Kejelcha first set the benchmark at 57:30 in Valencia in October 2024, only for Kiplimo to recapture it with a run of 57:20 in Lisbon earlier this year. Sunday's performance in the Argentine capital now resets the standard by a margin that is exceptional even by the standards of this rivalry, which has come to define the half marathon distance — 21.0975 kilometres — at the elite level.

Kejelcha's record is part of a broader pattern of dominance across road and track. He is also the world record holder for the men's 10,000 metres road race and won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the World Athletics Championships. His versatility was on full display at the London Marathon in April, where he became one of the first men to break the two-hour barrier in record-eligible conditions, finishing second in 1:59:41 — just 11 seconds behind Kenya's Sebastian Sawe, who won in a world record time of 1:59:30.

The half marathon is widely used by elite runners as a sharpening exercise ahead of major marathons, and Kejelcha is already eyeing his next target: he is scheduled to race in Valencia in early December. The Spanish city, known for its fast, flat course and reliably favourable weather conditions, is one of the premier venues for marathon record attempts. Sawe, meanwhile, is set to race in Berlin on 27 September in his first marathon since his London triumph.

The depth of talent currently reshaping long-distance running — with Ethiopian and Ugandan athletes repeatedly pushing the boundaries of human endurance — means further records may be within reach before the year is out.