- Yomif Kejelcha set a new indoor 1-mile world record at the Bruce Lehane Invitational on Sunday in Boston.
- His time of 3:47.01 broke the previous indoor mile world record of 3:48.45, set in 1997.
- Australian Sprinter, 16, Runs Record-Breaking 200m.
Three weeks after missing the indoor 1-mile world record by an excruciating hundredth of a second, Yomif Kejelcha made a historic run on Sunday in Boston to shatter the mark.
The Nike Oregon Project standout pushed himself to the limit once more with a time of 3:47.01 to break the previous indoor mile world record of 3:48.45, set by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj in 1997. After Kejelcha glided across the finish line, he waited for the results on the scoreboard. Once he saw the time was eclipsed by a full second, an elated Kejelcha and a roaring crowd at the Bruce Lehane Invitational celebrated in unison.
The 21-year-old’s successful attempt at the world record on Sunday followed other attempts at top times this indoor season. He barely missed the mile record when he finished in 3:48.46 at the Millrose Games on February 9 and followed the performance with another near-miss at the 1500-meter world record in Birmingham on February 16. (He placed second to Samuel Tefera, who broke the 1500 record with a breakthrough performance of 3:31.04.) Unshaken by the failed attempts, Shoes & Gear, All About 75 Hard.
Sunday’s attempt was executed to perfection with the help of pacemakers Erik Sowinski, Christian Harrison, and Harun Abda through 800 meters. Initially led by world indoor bronze medalist Sowinski, Kejelcha began with an opening split of 28.68. Sowinski continued to lead Kejelcha through the first 409 meters where the Ethiopian ran 57.31. Swiftly after reaching halfway in 1:54.44, Kejelcha surged ahead of the field and continued to press forward alone.
With plenty of momentum, Kejelcha continued to close the gap between himself and the record. His next three laps were completed in 28.31, 28.01, and 27.78, his fastest split of the entire race. While he reached the 1500-meter point just shy of the record in 3:31.25, Kejelcha would not be denied the record in the mile.
With every ounce of energy that remained, Kejelcha fought his way across the finish line to finally earn his place in the record books. His winning time of 3:47.01 is also an Ethiopian national record. Kejelcha’s improvements on the track this year follow a 2018 season in which he claimed a gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
“Finally breaking it, it means a lot to Coach Salazar, and it means even more for me to get it.” Kejelcha said through interpreter Abda to LetsRun.com. “I’m very very happy.”
Behind Kejelcha, Johnny Gregorek closed for a breakthrough runner-up finish in 3:49.98. The performance is just 0.09 seconds shy of Bernard Lagat’s American record.
Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in SELF, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner. When she’s not writing, Taylor volunteers as a coach to up-and-coming runners in the Chicago area.
