Former world U20 track star Benson Kiplangat to make half marathon debut in Berlin

Kenya’s rising star Benson Kiplangat is poised to make his half marathon debut on March 29 in Berlin, stepping up from the track to the longer road distance.

Kiplangat first announced himself on the global stage at the 2021 World Athletics U-20 Championships, where he won the 5,000m in 13:20.37, marking him as one of Kenya’s brightest young prospects.

While the former world champion is new to the half marathon, he brings proven speed on the roads, including a standout 2023 performance at the Ibiza 10km in Spain, where he led a Kenyan podium sweep in 27:18.

The 22-year-old arrives in Berlin eager to bounce back from a testing 2025 season. He opened the year with a seventh-place finish at the Shanghai Diamond League over 5,000m in 13:09.90, trailing Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, Kuma Girma, and Mezgebu Sime, all of whom ran sub-13:00 times.

Kiplangat faces a stern test in Berlin, going head-to-head with Ethiopia’s Bereket Nega, the reigning Riyadh Half Marathon champion, ensuring the Kenyan debutant is thrown straight into elite-level competition.

In the women’s race, Kenya’s Veronica Loleo seeks to continue her impressive form from 2025.

Loleo’s past season included victories at the Lilac Bloomsday 12K (38:02), Boilermaker 15K (49:37), and Buenos Aires Half Marathon (1:06:58), before finishing third at the Valencia Half Marathon in 1:05:46 behind Agnes Ng’etich and Fotyen Tesfay.

She will meet Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw, the reigning Copenhagen Half Marathon champion, who arrives in strong form after a second-place finish at the Valencia 10K in 29:29.