Hobbs Kessler breaks Bekele's 2000 m world indoor record, with Fisher under it too
Kessler ran 4:48.79 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, taking 1.2 seconds off a record from 2007; Grant Fisher's 4:49.48 was also faster than the old mark.
Photograph: the TRACK at New Balance in Boston during the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, by Habst, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe 2000 metres is an odd distance, run a few times a year when a meet director wants a record. On Saturday in Boston he got two. Hobbs Kessler won the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 2000 m in 4:48.79, a world indoor record, and Grant Fisher followed him home in 4:49.48. Both were faster than Kenenisa Bekele's 4:49.99, which had been the world indoor best since 2007.
The American record had lasted a day. Cole Hocker ran 4:52.92 at the Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Friday night, and Kessler took four seconds off it on Saturday. Belgium's Pieter Sisk was third in 4:52.41 and Britain's Jake Wightman fourth in 4:53.69. USATF notes the marks are subject to ratification.
On the same track the same evening, Josh Hoey broke the 800 m world indoor record in 1:42.50. Two world records in one session at the first Gold meeting of the World Athletics Indoor Tour, and both to Americans.
Kessler and Fisher at 2000 m is a 1500 m man and a 10,000 m man meeting in the middle. The record went to the miler, but the 10,000 m man was eight tenths behind, and both were ahead of Bekele. That is how good American distance running is at the start of 2026.
Sources: World-Track; USATF; FloTrack.
