Matan Ivri Sets New Israeli 1500m Record at Kortrijk Meet in Belgium

Israeli middle-distance runner Matan Ivri made history at the Kortrijk competition in Belgium on July 11, 2026, by setting a new national record in the 1500 meters. Ivri, representing Hapoel Emek Hefer and coached by Amir Ramon, finished third with a time of 3:34.51 minutes, breaking his previous record of 3:37.41 set at the US collegiate finals by over three seconds. Ivri is currently in excellent form and plans to compete again soon in Liège to attempt further improvement.

In the same race, Arbel Henzel from Lider Jerusalem, also coached by Amir Ramon, set a new Israeli national record for the under-20 (U20) category with a time of 3:47.68 minutes, surpassing the longstanding record of 3:47.86 held by Itay Magidi since 2000.

Other notable performances at the Kortrijk meet included Noam Mamo equaling the Israeli U23 record in the 400 meters with 46.80 seconds, sharing the record with Eran Siboni. Blessing Afrifa of Maccabi Tel Aviv ran the 200 meters in 20.84 seconds. Israeli women runners Rachel Perez Martinez, Krowan Halabi Kablan, and Shani Zakai all set personal bests in the 800 meters with times of 2:05.05, 2:06.00, and 2:06.31 respectively.

In hurdles, recent record holder Sagi Lamdiel (Lider Netanya) and Eyal Uziel (Maccabi Tel Aviv) posted times of 14.17 and 14.30 seconds in the 110m hurdles, with Lamdiel improving to 14.06 seconds in the B final. Additional performances included Jonathan Drozninov (3:48.29) and Tal Avidan (3:50.43) in the 1500m, Leah Arviv winning gold in discus with a personal best of 47.30 meters, and strong showings in triple jump and shot put by Itamar Baylin and Ido Mor respectively.

The meet highlighted a strong day for Israeli athletics with multiple national and personal records, showcasing the depth of talent and promising future for the sport in Israel.