Emmanuel Wanyonyi Breaks a 1000m World Record in His First Race at the Distance

The reigning Olympic 800m champion had never raced 1000m competitively before Monaco — and immediately took down a mark that had stood since 1999.

By Miles Ashworth · 11 Jul 2026 · 1 min read · United Kingdom edition

Emmanuel Wanyonyi at the 2023 World Championships, Budapest. Photo: via Wikimedia Commons.

Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi ran 2:11.83 for the men's 1000m at the Monaco Diamond League, breaking a world record that had stood since 1999 — 2:11.96, set by his own countryman Noah Ngeny in Rieti.

What makes it unusual is that it was the first time Wanyonyi, the reigning Olympic and world 800m champion, had ever raced the 1000m competitively at all. He went straight from no result at the distance to the fastest ever recorded.

He was characteristically understated about it afterward: "This was the first time I ran the 1000m and breaking the world record makes me so happy. I want to thank the other athletes for pushing me to my limit... Let me keep quiet, actions speak louder than words."

The 1000m isn't a regular championship distance — it shows up occasionally on the Diamond League circuit specifically because it tends to produce exactly this kind of result, a top 800m runner extending their speed one lap further than usual and finding out what happens.