Emmanuel Kiprono breaks U20 World Championship record in Oregon
By Joel Masibo, August 8, 2026Kenya’s Emmanuel Kiprono and Jayden Deleon produced standout performances on the third evening of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26, both rewriting championship records on Saturday, August 8, 2026.
Kiprono delivered the biggest performance of the morning in the men’s 3000m, clocking 7:28.28 to win gold in championship-record fashion. His time also lifted him to second on the world all-time U20 list, just 0.09 seconds away from Yomif Kejelcha’s world U20 record of 7:28.19 set in Paris in 2016.
The Kenyan’s commanding run came in a highly competitive race in which numerous athletes recorded personal bests.
France’s Alois Abraham was a distant second in 7:47.79, securing the silver medal, while Japan’s Ojiro Honda took bronze in 7:48.49 after setting a Japanese U20 record.
The depth of the race was highlighted by the fact that the next eight athletes across the line all recorded personal bests. Among them was Chinese Taipei’s Chien Tzu-Chieh, who finished sixth in a national U20 record of 7:51.18.
Kiprono entered the championships with a strong desire to claim the top prize after settling for silver at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee earlier this year.
“I went back to training, did well, and got a chance to represent Kenya at the World Championships. I am so excited that it worked for me today and I won the gold medal,” he said. “When I woke up this morning, I was feeling so good and I knew something special was coming. I am going to train and prepare for the 2028 Olympics.”
Ethiopia dominates women’s steeplechase
Ethiopia produced a one-two finish in the women’s 3000m steeplechase as Almaz Yohannis and Wosane Asefa underlined their nation’s strength in the event.
Yohannis took gold in 9:15.81, a world U20 leading mark that also moved her to eighth on the all-time U20 list.
Asefa followed in 9:30.50, her best performance of the season, while Kenya’s Anatasha Cheptoo secured bronze after crossing the line in 9:37.18.
Cheptoo’s compatriot Mercy Chepngeno Koskey, who had been running fourth, was unable to finish after falling at the water jump during the penultimate lap and subsequently required medical attention.
Sweden’s Majken Söderlund Larsson and Czechia’s Ema Berková also produced national records, recording 9:48.01 and 9:49.06 respectively to finish fourth and fifth.
800m finalists emerge
American Paige Sheppard topped the women’s 800m semifinal standings after running 2:01.97.
Shaikira King, Ioulianna Roussou and Habtam Gebeyehu were the next three athletes to break 2:03.
Ethiopia’s Derartu Shibiru registered a personal best of 2:03.41, while Poland’s Roza Olchawa secured qualification after producing a dramatic diving finish.
In the men’s 800m semifinals, Kenya’s Nashon Pkiach was the only athlete to break 1:46, setting a personal best of 1:45.82.
Uganda’s Shafeck Murungi won his semifinal in 1:46.41, while Spain’s Alejandro Rios recorded a personal best of 1:46.66.
Morocco’s Imad Bouchajda, Slovenia’s Benjamin Lakošeljac and Kenya’s Collins Tajewou were among those who also progressed to the final.