2000 metres explained

Event:	2000 metres
Image Upright:	1

The 2000 metres or 2000-metre run is a track running event where five laps are completed around an outdoor 400 m track, or ten laps around a 200 m indoor track - the distance is 11.68 meters short of 1¼ miles.

The global governing body World Athletics recognises official world records for the distance, and it is also recorded in continental and national record settings. The men's world record is held by Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who ran a time of 4:43.13 in 2023, while the women's world record is held by Australia's Jessica Hull, who ran a time of 5:19.70 in 2024.^[1] ^[2]

The distance sparsely features on event programmes of professional one-day track and field meetings, serving as a comparatively novel event with greater scope for record-breaking performances.^[3] It is also used at lower-level competitions, such as school and youth tournaments. Since 2017, a 2000-metre run is one of the events held to test the fitness of potential draftees at the AFL Draft Combine.^[4]

Despite its world record status, it has not yet featured as a world championship level event indoors or outdoors; however, the event was briefly held at national level in the mid-1960s at the Spanish Indoor and Soviet Indoor Athletics Championships.^[5] ^[6]

Records

World records

scope=col	Division	scope=col	Time	scope=col	Athlete	scope=col	Nation	scope=col	Date	scope=col	Place
Men	4:43.13	Jakob Ingebrigtsen		8 September 2023	Brussels
Women	5:19.70	Jessica Hull		12 July 2024	Monaco

Short track world bests

Division	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place
Men	4:48.79	Hobbs Kessler		24 January 2026	Boston
Women	5:23.75	Genzebe Dibaba		7 February 2017	Sabadell

Continental records

Area! colspan="3"
Time	Athlete	Athlete	Nationality
Men	Women
	4:44.79	5:21.56
	4:55.57	5:29.41
	4:43.13 WR	5:25.36
	4:51.54	5:28.78	Cory McGee
	4:50.76	5:19.70 WR	Jessica Hull
	5:03.34	5:50.21

All-time top 25

Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 2000m times and the top 25 athletes:
- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 2000m times
- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 2000m times, by repeat athletes
- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes* who fall outside the top 25 2000m times*

Men (outdoor)

Correct as of January 2025.^[7]

		Time	Athlete	Date	Place
1	1	4:43.13	Jakob Ingebrigtsen	8 September 2023	Brussels	^[8]
2	2	4:44.79	Hicham El Guerrouj	7 September 1999	Berlin
3	3	4:46.88	Ali Saïdi-Sief	19 June 2001	Strasbourg
4	4	4:47.88	Noureddine Morceli	3 July 1995	Paris
5	5	4:48.14	Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot	8 September 2023	Brussels
	6	4:48.36	El Guerrouj #2	19 July 1998	Gateshead
6	7	4:48.69	Vénuste Niyongabo	12 July 1995	Nice
7	8	4:48.74	John Kibowen	1 August 1998	Hechtel
8	9	4:48.77	Stewart McSweyn	8 September 2023	Brussels
	10	4:49.00	Niyongabo #2	3 September 1997	Rieti
	11	4:49.55	Morceli #2	10 July 1996	Nice
9	12	4:49.68	Niels Laros	8 September 2023	Brussels
10	13	4:49.85	Mario García	8 September 2023	Brussels
	14	4:50.01	Ingebrigsten #2	11 June 2020	Oslo
11	15	4:50.08	Noah Ngeny	30 July 1999	Stockholm
12	16	4:50.64	Narve Gilje Nordås	8 September 2023	Brussels
13	17	4:50.68	Abel Kipsang	8 September 2023	Brussels
14	18	4:50.76	Craig Mottram	9 March 2006	Melbourne
15	19	4:50.81	Saïd Aouita	16 July 1987	Paris
	20	4:51.17	El Guerrouj #3	31 August 2001	Berlin
16	21	4:51.30	Daniel Komen	5 June 1998	Milan
17	22	4:51.39	Steve Cram	4 August 1985	Budapest
18	23	4:51.52	John Walker	30 June 1976	Oslo
19	24	4:51.54	Charles Philibert-Thiboutot	8 September 2023	Brussels
20	25	4:52.20	Thomas Wessinghage	31 August 1982	Ingelheim
21		4:52.37	Ruben Verheyden	8 September 2023	Brussels
22		4:52.40	José Manuel Abascal	7 September 1986	Santander
23		4:52.44	Jim Spivey	15 September 1987	Lausanne
24		4:52.53	Moses Kiptanui	21 August 1992	Berlin
25		4:52.82	Peter Elliott	15 September 1987	Lausanne

Men (indoor)

Correct as of January 2026.^[9]

		Time	Athlete	Date	Place
1	1	4:48.79	Hobbs Kessler	24 January 2026	Boston	^[10]
2	2	4:49.48	Grant Fisher	24 January 2026	Boston
3	3	4:49.99		17 February 2007		^[11]
4	4	4:51.23		10 February 2024		^[12]
5	5	4:52.41	Pieter Sisk	24 January 2026	Boston
6	6	4:52.86	Haile Gebrselassie	15 February 1998	Birmingham
7	7	4:52.90	Sergio Sánchez	23 January 2010	Oviedo
8	8	4:52.92	Cole Hocker	24 January 2026	Blacksburg	^[13]
9	9	4:53.69	Jake Wightman	24 January 2026	Boston
10	10	4:54.07	Eamonn Coghlan	20 February 1987	Inglewood
11	11	4:54.08	Foster Malleck	24 January 2026	Boston
12	12	4:54.74	Bernard Lagat	15 February 2014	New York City
12	12	4:54.74	Cooper Teare	24 January 2026	Blacksburg	^[14]
14	14	4:54.76	Vénuste Niyongabo	18 February 1996	Liévin
15	15	4:55.35	Cameron Levins	15 February 2014	New York City
16	16	4:55.54	Romain Mornet	24 January 2026	Boston
17	17	4:55.72	Shadrack Korir	17 February 2007	Birmingham
18	18	4:56.09	Laban Rotich	14 February 1999	Birmingham
19	19	4:56.23	Jens-Peter Herold	6 March 1993	Karlsruhe
20	20	4:56.30	Augustine Kiprono Choge	9 February 2007	Aubiére
21	21	4:56.40	Noah Ngeny	25 February 2001	Liévin
22	22	4:56.87	Andrés Manuel Díaz	14 February 1999	Birmingham
23	23	4:56.99	David Torrence	15 February 2014	New York City
24	24	4:57.00	Samuel Zeleke	17 February 2022	Liévin
25	25	4:57.09	John Mayock	25 February 2001	Liévin

Women (outdoor)

Correct as of July 2024.^[15]

		Time	Athlete	Date	Place
1	1	5:19.70	Jessica Hull	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[16]
2	2	5:21.56	Francine Niyonsaba	14 September 2021	Zagreb	^[17]
3	3	5:25.36	Sonia O'Sullivan	8 July 1994	Edinburgh
4	4	5:25.86	Freweyni Hailu	14 September 2021	Zagreb	^[18]
5	5	5:26.08	Melissa Courtney-Bryant	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[19]
6	6	5:26.09	Edinah Jebitok	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[20]
7	7	5:26.93	Yvonne Murray	8 July 1994	Edinburgh
8	8	5:27.50	Genzebe Dibaba	17 June 2014	Ostrava
	9	5:27.73	Dibaba #2	19 June 2018	Montreuil
9	10	5:28.69	Maricica Puică	11 July 1986	London	^[21]
10	11	5:28.72	Tatyana Kazankina	4 August 1984	Moscow
11	12	5:28.78	Cory McGee	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[22]
12	13	5:28.82	Georgia Griffith	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[23]
	14	5:29.42	Dibaba #3	26 June 2014	Sollentuna
	15	5:29.58	Murray #2	11 July 1986	London
13	16	5:29.64	Tatyana Pozdnyakova	4 August 1984	Moscow
14	17	5:30.19	Zola Budd	11 July 1986	London
14	17	5:30.19	Gelete Burka	4 September 2009	Brussels
	19	5:30.39	Puică #2	4 September 1985	Rieti
16	20	5:30.92	Galina Zakharova	4 August 1984	Moscow
17	21	5:31.03	Gulnara Samitova-Galkina	27 May 2007	Sochi
18	22	5:31.18	Lucia Stafford	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[24]
19	23	5:31.52	Vivian Cheruiyot	7 June 2009	Eugene
20	24	5:31.88	Maryam Yusuf Jamal	7 June 2009	Eugene
21	25	5:32.40	Dawit Seyaum	14 September 2021	Zagreb	^[25]
22		5:32.63	Agathe Guillemot	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[26]
23		5:32.7	Mary Decker	3 August 1984	Eugene
24		5:32.83	Roberta Brunet	14 September 1996	Turin
25		5:32.86	Marta García	12 July 2024	Monaco	^[27]

Women (indoor)

Correct as of January 2026.^[28]

		Time	Athlete	Date	Place
1	1	5:23.75	Genzebe Dibaba	7 February 2017	Sabadell	^[29]
2	2	5:26.68	Jessica Hull	19 February 2026	Liévin	^[30]
3	3	5:30.31	Salomé Afonso	19 February 2026	Liévin
4	4	5:30.53	Gabriela Szabo	8 March 1998	Sindelfingen
5	5	5:32.18	Agathe Guillemot	19 February 2026	Liévin
6	6	5:32.68	Lucia Stafford	19 February 2026	Liévin
7	7	5:34.51	Kena Tufa	19 February 2026	Liévin
8	8	5:34.52	Mary Slaney	18 January 1985	Los Angeles
9	9	5:35.46	Dawit Seyaum	7 February 2015	Boston
10	10	5:35.78	Gudaf Tsegay	2 March 2024	Glasgow	^[31]
11	11	5:35.87	Revée Walcott-Nolan	19 February 2026	Liévin
	12	5:35.99	Hull #2	2 March 2024	Glasgow	^[32]
12	13	5:37.34	Fernanda Ribeiro	28 February 1996	Valencia
13	14	5:39.15	Yelena Kanales	7 January 2006	Yekaterinburg
14	15	5:39.30	Olga Yegorova	13 February 2000	Liévin
15	16	5:39.36	Violeta Beclea-Szekely	13 February 2000	Liévin
16	17	5:39.47	Berhane Adere	22 February 2002	Chemnitz
17	18	5:40.26	Mariya Konovalova	7 January 2008	Yekaterinburg
18	19	5:40.35	Sally Kipyego	7 February 2015	Boston
19	20	5:40.75	Yelena Soboleva	7 January 2006	Yekaterinburg
20	21	5:40.86	Yvonne Murray	20 February 1993	Birmingham
21	22	5:40.95	Yelena Zadorozhnaya	7 January 2008	Yekaterinburg
22	23	5:41.10	Kim Conley	8 February 2014	Boston
22	23	5:41.10	Yelena Korobkina	7 January 2018	Yekaterinburg
24	25	5:41.11	Emma Coburn	7 February 2015	Boston
25		5:42.12	Aleksandra Gulyayeva	7 January 2018	Yekaterinburg

References

General

Records by Event 2000 metres. World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-07-05.

Notes and References

https://www.worldathletics.org/records/by-category/world-records World Records
Web site: 2000m Result. swisstiming.com. 12 July 2024. 17 July 2024. 13 July 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo=. live.
Web site: undefined World Athletics . 2026-01-26 . worldathletics.org.
Web site: 2017-10-06 . Running machine takes out Combine 2km trial . 2023-10-01 . afl.com.au . en.
http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/espi.htm Spanish Indoor Championships
http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/ursi.htm Soviet Indoor Championships
Web site: 2000 Metres - men - senior - all . worldathletics.org . 1 January 2024 . 1 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240101073525/https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middlelong/2000-metres/all/men/senior?regionType=world&page=1&bestResultsOnly=false&firstDay=1900-01-01&lastDay=2024-01-01&maxResultsByCountry=all&eventId=10229632&ageCategory=senior . live .
Web site: 2000m Result. sportresult.com. 8 September 2023. 8 September 2023. 9 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230909102525/https://livecache.sportresult.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/BRUSSELS2023/PDF_ATHM2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=XXmMI2Va2XOWC/DVzVBUO3abgxQ=/. dead.
Web site: 2000m short track - men - senior - all. World Athletics. 11 February 2024.
Web site: 24 January 2026 . 2026 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Men's 2000 Metres Short Track Results . 25 January 2026 . worldathletics.org.
Web site: 2000 Metres Short Track - men - senior - all . 2024-10-14 . worldathletics.org.
Web site: Tsegay, Girma and Holloway threaten world indoor records in Lievin. World Athletics. Jon Mulkeen. 10 February 2024. 11 February 2024. 4 February 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250204091456/https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/news/tsegay-girma-holloway-threaten-world-indoor-records-2024-lievin. live.
Web site: 2000m Results. flashresults.com. 24 January 2026. 8 February 2026.
Web site: 2000m Results. flashresults.com. 24 January 2026. 8 February 2026.
Web site: 2000 Metres - women - senior - all . worldathletics.org . 1 January 2024 . 1 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240101074821/https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middlelong/2000-metres/all/women/senior?regionType=world&page=1&bestResultsOnly=false&firstDay=1900-01-01&lastDay=2024-01-01&maxResultsByCountry=all&eventId=10229518&ageCategory=senior . live .
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . . 13 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo= . live .
News: Niyonsaba breaks world 2000m record in Zagreb. World Athletics. Chris Broadbent. 14 September 2021. 27 September 2021. 16 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916083053/https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/hanzekovic-memorial-zagreb-niyonsaba-world-2000m-record. live.
News: Niyonsaba breaks world 2000m record in Zagreb. World Athletics. Chris Broadbent. 14 September 2021. 27 September 2021. 16 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916083053/https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/hanzekovic-memorial-zagreb-niyonsaba-world-2000m-record. live.
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . . 13 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo= . live .
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . . 13 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo= . live .
News: Double blow for Budd as Scot is second to Puica . Rodda . John . 1986-07-12 . 2025-09-24 . . 16.
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . . 13 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo= . live .
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . Diamond League.
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . . 13 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo= . live .
Web site: 2000m Result. online.atletika.cz. 14 September 2021. 27 September 2021. 27 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927141853/https://online.atletika.cz/_dataPublic/pdf/resultlist_3131ba5a-cd87-4ff8-bb1c-5e1b99afb8de.pdf. live.
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . . 13 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo= . live .
Web site: 12 July 2024 . Results 2000m Women . 13 July 2024 . . 13 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240713133924/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/MONACO_2024/PDF_ATHW2000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=bNDND9maUrZ6dKLeDEvG4E2RCNo= . live .
Web site: 2000m short track - women - senior - all . 2 March 2024 . World Athletics . 2 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240302225654/https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middlelong/2000-metres-short-track/all/women/senior?regionType=world&page=1&bestResultsOnly=false&firstDay=1900-01-01&lastDay=2024-03-02&maxResultsByCountry=all&eventId=10229583&ageCategory=senior . live .
Web site: 2000 Metres Short Track - women - senior - all . 2024-10-14 . worldathletics.org.
Web site: 19 February 2026 . Indoor Meeting - A Women's 2000 Metres Short Track Final . 22 February 2026 . worldathletics.org.
Web site: 2 March 2024 . 3000m Final Race Analysis . 2 March 2024 . World Athletics.
Web site: 2 March 2024 . 3000m Final Race Analysis . 2 March 2024 . World Athletics.