1500 m

World and Japan records, men and women — the progressions, the gap between them, and the full timeline.

Men · World

3:26.00

Hicham El Guerrouj

Morocco · Rome · 14 Jul 1998

Women · World

3:48.68

Faith Kipyegon

Kenya · Eugene · 5 Jul 2025

Men · Japan

3:35.42

Kazuki Kawamura

Japan · Chitose · 17 Jul 2021

Women · Japan

3:59.19

Nozomi Tanaka

Japan · Tokyo · 4 Aug 2021

World Record

Men · World Record

Current3:26.00Hicham El Guerrouj· 1998

Date	Time	Athlete	Country	Location
14 Jul 1998	3:26.00	Hicham El Guerrouj	Morocco	Rome
12 Jul 1995	3:27.37	Noureddine Morceli	Algeria	Nice
6 Sept 1992	3:28.86	Noureddine Morceli	Algeria	Rieti
23 Aug 1985	3:29.46	Said Aouita	Morocco	Berlin
16 Jul 1985	3:29.67	Steve Cram	Great Britain	Nice
4 Sept 1983	3:30.77	Steve Ovett	Great Britain	Rieti
28 Aug 1983	3:31.24	Sydney Maree	United States	Cologne
27 Aug 1980	3:31.36	Steve Ovett	Great Britain	Koblenz
15 Aug 1979	3:32.03	Sebastian Coe	Great Britain	Zurich
2 Feb 1974	3:32.16	Filbert Bayi	Tanzania	Christchurch

Japan Record

Men · Japan Record

Current3:35.42Kazuki Kawamura· 2021

Date	Time	Athlete	Location
17 Jul 2021	3:35.42	Kazuki Kawamura	Chitose
29 May 2021	3:37.05	Nanami Arai	Portland
31 Jul 2004	3:37.42	Fumikazu Kobayashi	Heusden-Zolder
3 Sept 1977	3:38.24	Takashi Ishii	Dusseldorf

World vs Japan

Men · Current Gap

+9.42

World3:26.00Hicham El Guerrouj

Japan3:35.42Kazuki Kawamura

Record progressions

Current

WR3:26.00Hicham El Guerrouj· 1998

JPN3:35.42Kazuki Kawamura· 2021

The gap over time

+9.42Current

WR3:26.00Hicham El Guerrouj· 1998

JPN3:35.42Kazuki Kawamura· 2021

The closer the line gets to zero, the closer Japan is to the world record; when it rises, the world record is pulling away. The gap is plotted at every record change — world or national — so the line always reflects the gap at that moment.

Record Timeline

Date	Time	Athlete	Country	Location	Type
5 Jul 2025	3:48.68	Faith Kipyegon	Kenya	Eugene	World Record
7 Jul 2024	3:49.04	Faith Kipyegon	Kenya	Paris	World Record
2 Jun 2023	3:49.11	Faith Kipyegon	Kenya	Florence	World Record
4 Aug 2021	3:59.19	Nozomi Tanaka	Japan	Tokyo	Japan Record
2 Aug 2021	4:02.33	Nozomi Tanaka	Japan	Tokyo	Japan Record
17 Jul 2021	3:35.42	Kazuki Kawamura	Japan	Chitose	Japan Record
17 Jul 2021	4:04.08	Nozomi Tanaka	Japan	Chitose	Japan Record
29 May 2021	3:37.05	Nanami Arai	Japan	Portland	Japan Record
23 Aug 2020	4:05.27	Nozomi Tanaka	Japan	Tokyo	Japan Record
17 Jul 2015	3:50.07	Genzebe Dibaba	Ethiopia	Fontvieille	World Record
24 Sept 2006	4:07.86	Yuriko Kobayashi	Japan	Yokohama	Japan Record
6 May 2006	4:07.87	Yuriko Kobayashi	Japan	Osaka	Japan Record
9 Apr 2005	4:09.30	Miho Sugimori	Japan	Unknown	Japan Record
31 Jul 2004	3:37.42	Fumikazu Kobayashi	Japan	Heusden-Zolder	Japan Record
23 Jun 2002	4:10.39	Ikuko Tamura	Japan	Unknown	Japan Record
14 Jul 1998	3:26.00	Hicham El Guerrouj	Morocco	Rome	World Record
12 Jul 1995	3:27.37	Noureddine Morceli	Algeria	Nice	World Record
29 Apr 1994	4:11.10	Harumi Hiroyama	Japan	Hiroshima	Japan Record
11 Sept 1993	3:50.46	Qu Yunxia	China	Beijing	World Record
6 Sept 1992	3:28.86	Noureddine Morceli	Algeria	Rieti	World Record
12 Jun 1992	4:12.40	Harumi Hiroyama	Japan	Tokyo	Japan Record
23 Aug 1985	3:29.46	Said Aouita	Morocco	Berlin	World Record
16 Jul 1985	3:29.67	Steve Cram	Great Britain	Nice	World Record
4 Sept 1983	3:30.77	Steve Ovett	Great Britain	Rieti	World Record
28 Aug 1983	3:31.24	Sydney Maree	United States	Cologne	World Record
27 Aug 1980	3:31.36	Steve Ovett	Great Britain	Koblenz	World Record
3 Aug 1980	3:52.47	Tatyana Kazankina	Soviet Union	Zurich	World Record
15 Aug 1979	3:32.03	Sebastian Coe	Great Britain	Zurich	World Record
3 Sept 1977	3:38.24	Takashi Ishii	Japan	Dusseldorf	Japan Record
2 Feb 1974	3:32.16	Filbert Bayi	Tanzania	Christchurch	World Record
9 Sept 1972	4:01.38	Ludmila Bragina	Soviet Union	Munich	World Record
7 Sept 1972	4:05.07	Ludmila Bragina	Soviet Union	Munich	World Record
4 Sept 1972	4:06.47	Ludmila Bragina	Soviet Union	Munich	World Record
15 Aug 1971	4:09.62	Karin Burneleit	East Germany	Helsinki	World Record
20 Sept 1969	4:10.77	Jaroslava Jehlickova	Czechoslovakia	Athens	World Record

Exhibit notes

The story of the record

The record, step by step

The men's 1500m begins with Filbert Bayi's 3:32.16 in 1974. In 1998 Hicham El Guerrouj ran 3:26.00 in Rome, a mark unbroken for more than a quarter-century. On the women's side, Faith Kipyegon set the world record of 3:48.68 in 2025.

Japan's progression

Takashi Ishii's 1977 men's record stood for many years; the mark fell through the 2000s and 2010s, and in 2021 Kazuki Kawamura brought it to 3:35.42. On the women's side, Nozomi Tanaka lowered the record repeatedly across 2020–21, reaching 3:59.19 in 2021 — the first Japanese woman under four minutes.