The first months of 2026 have already secured a place in athletics history. World Athletics officially ratified seven absolute world records and one world U20 record, performances that reflect the extraordinary competitive level currently seen in the sport and achieved by athletes capable of pushing physical and technical limits to a new dimension. From indoor track to the marathon and field events, each record represents years of preparation and a moment capable of permanently rewriting the record books.
Among the standout performances are athletes who are already part of the sport’s global elite, including Mondo Duplantis, Simon Ehammer, Devynne Charlton, Sabastian Sawe, and Tigst Assefa, as well as emerging stars such as China’s Yan Ziyi, who continues to establish herself as one of the greatest young talents in the javelin throw. They are joined by Khaleb McRae and the United States men’s indoor 4x800m relay team, whose performances helped define a season filled with historic achievements across multiple disciplines.
From indoor dominance to excellence in the field events
Many of the ratified records were achieved during the indoor season, where several athletes took advantage of the year’s biggest international competitions to deliver unforgettable performances. At the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 2026, Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer reclaimed the world indoor heptathlon title with 6,670 points, surpassing the long-standing world record set by Ashton Eaton in 2012. His performance reflected an almost flawless competition, highlighted by times of 6.69 in the 60 metres, 8.31 metres in the long jump, and a strong hurdles performance before finishing with a personal best in the 1,000 metres.
At the same championships, Bahamian hurdler Devynne Charlton successfully defended her world indoor 60m hurdles title by clocking 7.65 seconds, equaling the world record she had set two years earlier. Another of the event’s biggest stars was Mondo Duplantis, who once again demonstrated why he continues to dominate the pole vault. Competing in Uppsala, the city where he was born and at a meeting bearing his name, the Swede cleared 6.31 metres, improving by one centimetre on the world record he had set only months earlier at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships.
Historic marathons and new generations already making history
The distance events also delivered unforgettable moments. At the London Marathon, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe achieved one of the greatest milestones in athletics history by becoming the first man to run a ratified marathon in under two hours, crossing the finish line in 1:59:30. His victory came after an intense battle with Yomif Kejelcha and Jacob Kiplimo, who also produced one of the fastest marathons ever contested. In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa once again confirmed her dominance by improving her own women-only world record to 2:15:41 in a race where, for the first time, three women finished under 2 hours and 16 minutes.
The list of ratified records also includes American Khaleb McRae’s indoor 400m world record of 44.52 seconds; the historic U.S. indoor 4x800m relay team featuring Clay Pender, Luke Houser, Luciano Fiore, and Sean Dolan, who stopped the clock at 7:10.29; and the remarkable performance of China’s Yan Ziyi. At just 18 years old, she threw the javelin 71.74 metres at the Xiamen Diamond League, smashing the world U20 record by nearly six metres and becoming the second-best performer of all time in the event’s absolute world rankings.
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