Kenya’s Jepchirchir wins Half Marathon title in record time

Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir on Saturday put a spirited sprint in the final 500m to reclaim her World Athletics Half Marathon Championships title with a new women-only world record after clocking 1hr 5min 16sec in Gydnia, Poland.

Following her feat, Jepchirchir who had lastly won the title in 2016, shaved off 18 seconds to smash her previous record of 1:05.34 she set last month in Prague and which had been ratified few days before the Saturday’s clash.

Germany’s Melat Yisak Kejeta took silver in the women-only European record of 1:05:18 with Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw taking bronze in 1:05:19.

Former world record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei from Kenya finished sixth in a time of 1:05:58.

In the men’s race, Kenya lost her title to Uganda after Jacob Kiplimo won the race with a timing of 58:49 as Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie settled for silver clocking 58:54 while Amedework Walelegn completed the podium finish in a time of 59:08.

Last year’s champion Geoffrey Kamworor, who is also the world half marathon record holder, opted not to seek his fourth consecutive world half title this year as he has just returned to training after a motorbike accident in Eldoret in June.

For Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei who was eying history as the first man to win three major world titles on track cross country and road, it was not his day after he finished fourth as Kenya’s Leonard Borsoton finished a distant sixth.