Tshepo Tshite smashes SA 3000m record twice in fortnight to ignite 2026 season

Tshepo Tshite has launched his 2026 season in emphatic fashion, breaking the South African 3 000m short track record twice inside 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.

Two weeks later, he went even faster.

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.

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.