At the Road to Records competition in Herzogenaurach, Germany, on Saturday, Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya broke a world mark for the fastest road mile, clocking in at three minutes and 54.5 seconds. Wanyonyi was competing in the men’s mile event for the first time.
The previous mark of 3:56.13, set in October by American Hobbs Kessler, was surpassed by the 19-year-old. Kessler, who ran on Saturday as well, came in second in 3:56.1.
Wanyonyi, an 800-meter specialist, placed second at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, the previous year, and then took home the gold medal at the 2023 Diamond League.