African athletes enjoy stellar weekend in long-distance running – The South African
African athletes enjoy stellar weekend in long-distance running The South African
It was a phenomenal weekend for African distance athletes who claimed victories in events from China to Great Britain in the last few days.
Runners from across th continent enjoyed success in international distance events over the past weekend with African athletes claiming wins in China, the UK and the Czech Republic.
Gurma causes upset in women’s marathon in China
Ethiopia’s Belainesh Yami Gurmu upset a solid field to take top honours in the women’s race at the 2019 Taiyuan International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on Sunday.
The race was staged under sunny conditions and a leading pack of seven runners paced the race to the 20-kilometre mark in 1:10:53 and to 25 kilometres in 1:29:07.
The 30-year-old Gurmu, who previously mainly competed in 10km and half marathon races and took the 2019 Ibiza Marathon title in 2:34:30 five months ago, held the pole position in the leading group for most of the race.
When the leaders reached the 30km water station, only four runners were left and the in-form Gurmu waited for another eight kilometres before pushing ahead to take the lead.
The Ethiopian kept extending the lead before eventually crossing the line in 2:29:48. Her winning mark is the second-fastest in the race’s 10-year history, 12 seconds shy of the course record set two years ago by Kenyan Chemutai Rionotukei.
Gurmu’s countrywoman Tsehay Gebre, a 2:28:06 performer who will turn 27 in three days, failed to continue her winning streak in China following victories in Kunming last December and in Wuxi six months ago, as she clocked 2:30:27 to take second-place.
Tsehay Maru, 25, trailed six seconds behind Gebre to complete a sweep of podium for Ethiopia.
Kenyan-born Bahraini Marius Kimutai, 26, the second-fastest entrant in the field with a PB of 2:05:47 set three years ago in Amsterdam, emerged victorious from a thrilling three-man battle at the end to become the first winner from Bahrain in the central Chinese city.
Kimutai’s winning time of 2:09:43 is also the second-fastest here following the course record of 2:08:51, set by Kenya’s Berhanu Shiferaw back in 2012.
The Bahraini was among a 10-man leading group that paced the race in the early stages. When they hit the 25km mark the leaders were trimmed to eight.
Kenya’s Justus Kimutai tried to pull away near the 35km mark. Although his effort went in vain, only four runners managed to catch up with his pace. And at the 38km the leading group was further cut to just four runners.
After another one kilometre, Kimutai launched his charge, forcing Ethiopia’s Fikadu Girma to quit the contest for the title at 40 kilometres.
The remaining three runners kept shoulder-to-shoulder until the Bahraini pulled clear some 200 metres before the finish.
Slapping his chest and pointing to his number bib, Kimutai celebrated his victory even before breaking the tape.
Justus Kimutai finished second in 2:09:46, which is the fastest result ever achieved on an eligible course for the 26-year-old.
Ethiopia’s Asnake Dubre, 20, improved his career-best by 30 seconds to take the third-place in 2:09:51.
Kosgei smashes women’s record in Great North Run dominated by African athletes
Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei smashed the women’s course record at the Great North Run half marathon on Sunday, clocking 1:04:28 over the course from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to South Shields, England, the fastest performance ever over the distance.
As a point-to-point course and slightly downhill, it’s not valid for record purposes, but that shouldn’t take away from the performance by the 25-year-old African athlete who took charge of the race from the outset.
Running at the front from the start, Kosgei, who raced to victories in London in April and Chicago last October, covered the opening mile in 4:46 and forged on from there to clip more than a minute from the record of 1:05:39 set by Kenyan Mary Keitany in 2014.
Magdalyne Masai was a distant second in 1:07:36, with Linet Masai third in 1:07:44. Keitany was next in 1:07:58 to round-out a Kenyan sweep of the first four spots.
In the men’s race, Great Britain’s Mo Farah raced to his sixth victory at the event, holding off Ethiopian Tamirat Tola over the final mile to win in 59:06.
Tola, the silver medallist in the marathon at the 2017 World Championships, was second in 59:13.
African athletes triumph in Prague as 10km all-time lists undergo major revision
Kenyan athletes triumphed over the weekend when once again, the all-time 10km lists underwent major revision at the Birell Prague 10km, an IAAF Gold Label road race in the Czech Republic.
In the women’s race, winner Sheila Chepkirui and runner-up Dorcas Kimeli, both Kenyans, who finished just half a step behind, were credited with 29:57 performances to become just the second and third women to cover the distance in under 30 minutes.
Only their Kenyan compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei, who set the 29:43 world record on this same course in 2017, has run faster.
In the men’s race, yet another Kenyan Geoffrey Koech fought off countryman Mathew Kimeli in the closing stages to reach the finish-line in a world-leading 27:02, equalling the legendary Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie as the fourth-fastest man ever.
Kimeli clocked 27:07, to move up to No 7 on the all-time list.
The women were off to a blazing start, with Chepkirui, Kimeli and another Kenyan Norah Jeruto, better-known as a standout steeplechase, reaching the midway point in 14:46, with Fancy Chemutai another second back.
That group was soon narrowed down to just Chepkirui and Kimeli who fought it out until the closing metres, when Chepkirui finally prevailed by about half a second.
Jeruto, who beat world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya in the 3000m steeplechase at the IAAF Diamond League stop in Oslo in June, was third in 30:07.
Like the women, the leaders in the men’s race set a blistering pace from the outset, with Kenyans Benard Kimeli leading Geoffrey Koech, Mathew Kimeli, Bravin Kiptoo and Shadrack Koech leading the field through the first five kilometres in 13:23.
Another five runners were well within striking distance, just one or two seconds behind.
The pace soon proved too much for most, with just Kiptoo, Geoffrey Koech and Matthew Kimeli left in the hunt after seven kilometres. Koech, the runner-up here last year, powered away over the final kilometre to secure the win.
“Of course there is a lot of space for improvement but still I am very happy with my result,” said the 26-year-old Koech, who clipped 15 seconds off his previous career-best.
Kiptoo, 18, was third in 27:12, a world Under-20 best.
Compiled by James Richardson additional reporting from the IAAF and African News Agency.
Tags: running