American middle-distance runner Josh Hoey has broken the long-standing men’s 800m indoor world record by running a blistering time at Saturday’s Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.

The 26-year-old finished in one minute 42.5 seconds to beat the previous record of 1:42.67 set nearly 29 years ago in March 1997 by Denmark’s Wilson Kipketer in Paris.

Hoey, who won gold in the same event at the World Indoor Championships in 2025, had been closing in on 53-year-old Kipketer’s record, clocking a 1:43.24, then the second-fastest time in history, in New York last year.

After the race, Hoey said he just tried to stay calm and let his brother Jaxson, who was pace-setter, lead him to victory.