Tshepo Tshite clocked 7:36.90 to finish fifth in a stacked field at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Liévin, France, lowering his own national mark by more than a second. Tshepo Tshitehas launched his 2026 season in emphatic fashion,breaking the South African 3 000m short track record twiceinside a fortnight on the European indoor circuit. The 29-year-old struck first at the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava, finishing second in 7:38.17 to erase the long-standing national mark of 7:39.55 Elroy Gelant set in 2014.
Tshite was edged by just 0.12 seconds by Portugal’s Isaac Nader, but the bigger prize was the record. Racing at a World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Liévin, France, Tshite clocked 7:36.90 to finish fifth in a stacked field, lowering his own national mark by more than a second. It was the third time this month he dipped under 7:40 – a sign of both his consistency and sharp early-season conditioning.
The Liévin race also boosted South Africa’s all-time standings, with compatriot Luan Munnik running 7:38.35 in his indoor debut to move to second on the national rankings behind Tshite. Already the South African record holder in the 1 500m indoors (3:35.06), 1 500m outdoors (3:31.35) and the indoor mile (3:54.10), Tshite now holds four national records. His latest exploits underline his range and his growing authority over longer distances.
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He also reached the 1 500m outdoor final on his debut at last year’s World Athletics Champs in Tokyo. With the outdoor season approaching, the back-to-back record-breaking performances suggest Tshite is building serious momentum – and sending an early message to rivals that he intends to make 2026 another landmark year. The LA 2028 Olympics will also be a long-term goal. Fellow distance runner Maxime Chaumeton was also in record-breaking form recently, chipping one second off his national mark of 13:13 in the 5km event on the road at the Breakfast Run race in Seville, Spain.
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