Emmanuel Wanyonyi breaks 27‑year‑old 1000m world record in Monaco

Kenyan Olympic 800‑metre champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi ran 1000 metres in 2:11.83 at the Herculis Diamond League meeting in Monaco, shaving 0.13 seconds off the 1999 record of 2:11.96 set by fellow Kenyan Noah Ngeny. It was Wanyonyi’s first attempt at the distance, and he finished almost a full second ahead of Great Britain’s Jake Wightman (2:12.77) and Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati (2:13.94).

The evening produced a host of additional bests: Julien Alfred recorded a world‑leading 21.51 seconds for the women’s 200 m, making her the third‑fastest woman ever at the distance and setting a Monaco meeting record. Other notable marks included a Diamond League record in the men’s 400 m by Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi (43.44), a meeting record in the women’s 400 m by Marileidy Paulino (48.67), and several national and continental records.

Wanyonyi’s performance also earned him a prize of nearly Ksh 8 million, underscoring the financial incentives attached to world‑record achievements on the CONIPUR Vmax track, which has hosted several recent world‑record runs.