World Athletics unveils tougher qualification system for Beijing 2027

For 2027, World Athletics has changed its aims — it is hoping for 40% of qualifiers via standard and 60% via ranking as part of its attempt to increase the importance of its world ranking system.

The men’s 100m standard has been set at 9.95 seconds and 10.96 for women, with Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala already inside the mark after his 9.94 run in Xiamen last Saturday.

However, the Kenyan sprint king will need to maintain that form, with the qualification window for track and field events running between August 23, 2026 and August 22, 2027.

Kenyan athletes will also face stiff demands in the middle distances, with the men’s 800m qualifying time set at 1:43.00 from 1:44.50 in 2025 and the women’s at 1:57.50.

In the 1,500m, athletes must hit 3:30.00 for men and 3:58.00 for women, while the 5,000m standards stand at 12:50.00 and 14:36.00 respectively.

In the marathon, the standards stand at 2:06:00 for men and 2:23:20 for women, with world record holder Sabastian Sawe among those who have already achieved the mark after banishing the two-hour barrier marathon with a blistering time of 1:59:30 in London last month.

Athletes can qualify either through entry standards or world rankings, while 2025 defending World champions and winners of the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship will receive automatic wild card entries to Beijing.