2000 metres facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Athletics2000 metres |
|
|---|---|
| World records | |
| Men |  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 4:43.13 (2023) |
| Women |  Jessica Hull (AUS) 5:19.70 (2024) |
| Short track world records | |
| Men |  Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 4:49.99 (2007) |
| Women |  Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 5:23.75 (2017) |
The 2000 metres or 2000-metre run is a track running event. In this race, athletes run a total distance of 2000 meters. This means they complete five laps around a standard outdoor track, which is usually 400 meters long. If the race is held indoors on a smaller 200-meter track, athletes run ten laps.
The main organization for athletics, World Athletics, officially recognizes the fastest times for this distance as world records. These records are also kept for different continents and countries. The fastest time ever run by a man is held by Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway. He ran 2000 meters in 4 minutes and 43.13 seconds in 2023. For women, the world record belongs to Jessica Hull from Australia. She set her record of 5 minutes and 19.70 seconds in 2024.
The 2000 metres race is not very common in big professional track and field events. However, it is often used in smaller competitions, like those for schools and young athletes. It's also used to test the fitness of new players for the AFL Draft Combine, which is a sports event in Australia. Even though it has world record status, it has not been part of major world championships, either indoors or outdoors.
Contents
Records
World Records
These are the fastest times ever recorded for the 2000 metres race, both outdoors and indoors.
| Division | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 4:43.13 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway |
8 September 2023 | Brussels |
| Women | 5:19.70 | Jessica Hull | Australia |
12 July 2024 | Monaco |
Indoor World Bests
These are the fastest times recorded for the 2000 metres race on indoor tracks. Indoor tracks are usually shorter, so these times are called "world bests" instead of "world records."
| Division | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 4:49.99 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia |
17 February 2007 | Birmingham |
| Women | 5:23.75 | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia |
7 February 2017 | Sabadell |
Continental Records
Athletes from different parts of the world hold records for the 2000 metres. Here are the fastest times for each continent.
| Area | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Athlete | Nationality | |
| African | 4:44.79 | Hicham El Guerrouj |  Morocco |
5:21.56 | Francine Niyonsaba |  Burundi |
| Asian | 4:55.57 | Mohamed Suleiman |  Qatar |
5:29.41 | Wang Junxia |  China |
| European | 4:43.13 WR | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway |
5:25.36 | Sonia O'Sullivan |  Ireland |
| North, Central American and Caribbean | 4:51.54 | Charles Philibert-Thiboutot |  Canada |
5:28.78 | Cory McGee |  United States |
| Oceanian | 4:50.76 | Craig Mottram | Australia |
5:19.70 WR | Jessica Hull | Australia |
| South American | 5:03.34 | Hudson de Souza |  Brazil |
5:50.21 | María Pía Fernández |  Uruguay |
Fastest Times Ever
This section shows some of the fastest 2000m times recorded by athletes.
Men (Outdoor)
These are some of the top performances by male athletes in outdoor 2000m races.
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4:43.13 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway |
8 September 2023 | Brussels |
| 4:44.79 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco |
7 September 1999 | Berlin |
| 4:46.88 | Ali Saïdi-Sief |  Algeria |
19 June 2001 | Strasbourg |
| 4:47.88 | Noureddine Morceli | Algeria |
3 July 1995 | Paris |
| 4:48.14 | Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot |  Kenya |
8 September 2023 | Brussels |
Men (Indoor)
These are some of the top performances by male athletes in indoor 2000m races.
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4:49.99 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia |
17 February 2007 | Birmingham |
| 4:51.23 | Lamecha Girma | Ethiopia |
10 February 2024 | Liévin |
| 4:52.86 | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia |
15 February 1998 | Birmingham |
| 4:52.90 | Sergio Sánchez |  Spain |
23 January 2010 | Oviedo |
| 4:54.07 | Eamonn Coghlan | Ireland |
20 February 1987 | Inglewood |
Women (Outdoor)
These are some of the top performances by female athletes in outdoor 2000m races.
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:19.70 | Jessica Hull | Australia |
12 July 2024 | Monaco |
| 5:21.56 | Francine Niyonsaba | Burundi |
14 September 2021 | Zagreb |
| 5:25.36 | Sonia O'Sullivan | Ireland |
8 July 1994 | Edinburgh |
| 5:25.86 | Freweyni Hailu | Ethiopia |
14 September 2021 | Zagreb |
| 5:26.08 | Melissa Courtney-Bryant |  Great Britain |
12 July 2024 | Monaco |
Women (Indoor)
These are some of the top performances by female athletes in indoor 2000m races.
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:23.75 | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia |
7 February 2017 | Sabadell | |
| 5:30.53 | Gabriela Szabo |  Romania |
8 March 1998 | Sindelfingen | |
| 5:34.52 | Mary Slaney | United States |
18 January 1985 | Los Angeles | |
| 5:35.46 | Dawit Seyaum | Ethiopia |
7 February 2015 | Boston | |
| 5:35.78+ | Gudaf Tsegay | Ethiopia |
2 March 2024 | Glasgow |
References
- General
- Records by Event 2000 metres. World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
