By Chris Chavez
November 9, 2024
The Night of the 10,000m PBs will not be held in 2025, but event organizers announced plans to return in 2026. The event has previously served as the British championship and selection race for the 10,000m teams for the Olympics and World Championships. For the past two years, it was also supported by On as part of the On Track Nights.
What Does This Mean For World Championship Qualifying In 2025?
– A little bit on the event’s recent history and results: In 2022, one woman and one man ran under the World Championship qualifying standards of 31:25/27:28. In 2023, one woman ran under the World Championship qualifying standard of 30:40. No men got under the standard of 27:10. In 2024, no men and no women got under the Olympic qualifying standard of 27:00/30:40.
– However, the meet (which boasts an excellent festival-like environment) has been a good opportunity to boost an athlete’s World Ranking. With so few good, fast opportunities to race a 10,000m on the track, expect there to be more World Rankings numbers crunching for athletes looking to qualify for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. The standards are: 27:00.00 for the men and 30:20.00 for the women. The targeted field size is 27 athletes.
Who has hit the standard so far?
24 men have run under 27:00 on the track since the qualifying window opened in February. In addition to being the best 10,000m race in history, the top 13 finishers at the Paris Olympics also dipped under the standard.
1. 🇪🇹 Yomif Kejelcha - 26:31.01
2. 🇪🇹 Berihu Aregawi - 26:31.13
3. 🇪🇹 Selemon Barega - 26:34.93
4. 🇪🇹 Biniam Mehary - 26:37.93
5. 🇪🇹 Gemechu Dida - 26:42.65
6. 🇺🇬 Joshua Cheptegei - 26:43.14
7. 🇺🇸 Grant Fisher - 26:43.46
8. 🇨🇦 Mohammed Ahmed - 26:43.79
9. 🇰🇪 Benard Kibet - 26:43.98
10. 🇺🇬 Jacob Kiplimo - 26:46.39
11. 🇪🇹 Tadese Worku - 26:46.80
12. 🇪🇸 Thierry Ndikumwenayo - 26:49.49
13. 🇿🇦 Adriaan Wildschutt - 26:50.64
14. 🇰🇪 Daniel Mateiko - 26:50.81
15. 🇰🇪 Nicholas Kipkorir - 26:50.94
16. 🇰🇪 Edwin Kurgat - 26:51.54
17. 🇺🇸 Nico Young - 26:52.72
18. 🇸🇪 Andreas Almgren - 26:52.87
19. 🇪🇷 Habtom Samuel - 26:53.84
20. 🇰🇪 Benson Kiplangat - 26:55.09
21. 🇪🇷 Merhawi Mebrahtu - 26:55.51
22. 🇺🇸 William Kincaid - 26:57.57
23. 🇫🇷 Jimmy Gressier - 26:58.67
24. 🇰🇪 Kibiwott Kandie - 26:58.97
Kevin Morris / @KevMoFoto
Here are the 11 women who have hit the qualifying standard on the track:
1. 🇰🇪 Beatrice Chebet - 28:54.14
2. 🇪🇹 Gudaf Tsegay - 29:05.92
3. 🇰🇪 Lilian Kasait Rengeruk - 29:26.89
4. 🇰🇪 Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi - 29:27.59
5. 🇪🇹 Fotyen Tesfay - 29:47.71
6. 🇪🇹 Tsigie Gebreselama - 29:48.34
7. 🇪🇹 Ejgayehu Taye - 29:50.52
8. 🇰🇪 Janeth Chepngetich - 30:04.97
9. 🇰🇪 Emmaculate Anyango Achol - 30:06.43*
10. 🇰🇪 Catherine Reline Amanang'ole - 30:07.42
11. 🇪🇹 Aynadis Mebratu - 30:09.05
*Note: Emmaculate Anyango was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit last month after failing a doping test for testosterone and EPO.
Kevin Morris / @KevMoFoto
Here are the seven women who have hit the qualifying standard on the roads:
1. 🇰🇪 Faith Chepkoech - 29:50
2. 🇪🇹 Fotyen Tesfay - 29:54
3. 🇰🇪 Diana Chepkorir - 29:56
3. 🇪🇹 Likina Amebaw - 29:56
5. 🇰🇪 Loice Chemnung - 29:57
6. 🇰🇪 Agnes Jebet Ngetich - 30:03
7. 🇰🇪 Janeth Chepngetich - 30:19
Note: World Athletics does not have Ruth Chepngetich listed on the 10K list but she split 30:14 en route to her 2:09:56 world record at the Chicago Marathon.
Where are the American women?
World Athletics has yet to start its Road to Tokyo online tracker to view each athlete’s status in the rankings after you limit each country to three athletes. The highest ranked Americans at the moment are Weini Kelati (9th); Karissa Schweizer (17th), Fiona O’Keeffee (19th) and Parker Valby (22nd). If you limit each country to three athletes, Kelati stays at No. 9, Schweizer jumps to 12th and O’Keeffe moves to No. 14.
Only four American women (Alicia Monson, Molly Huddle, Elise Cranny, and Karissa Schweizer) have run faster than the 30:20 standard. Kelati was the fastest American woman of the year, thanks to her 30:33.82 personal best to notch the 2024 Olympic standard at Sound Running’s The Ten in March.
Kevin Morris / @KevMoFoto
What opportunities are there to hit the standard?
It seems that the best opportunity to chase the qualifying standard on the track will be Sound Running’s The Ten on March 29th in San Juan Capistrano.
Eight men (including Americans Grant Fisher, Nico Young, and Woody Kincaid) got under the 27:00 standard and four women got under the 30:40 standard for the 2024 Olympics at the event with the aid of pacers and Wavelight technology. Only Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebresalama, who just signed with Grand Slam Track as a Racer, was also able to get under the 2025 standard on the day.
Remember, athletes can qualify for Tokyo if they finish in the top three of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Rankings. The World Athletics Cross Country Tour is already underway this fall with 14 gold-label races between now and the end of February.
Athletes can also hit the qualifying standard on the roads at a World Athletics certified course. The McKirdy Micro 10K will be held on March 30th in Rockland Lake State Park, New York. That might be the fastest course available to American athletes stateside, if they opt not to chase the standard on the track the day before.
___________________
Keep up with all things track and field by following us across Instagram, X, and YouTube. Catch the latest episodes of the CITIUS MAG Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. For more, subscribe to The Lap Count and CITIUS MAG Newsletter for the top running news delivered straight to your inbox.
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
