Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha made history on Sunday, breaking the men’s world half marathon record in Valencia with an astonishing time of 57 minutes and 30 seconds — one second faster than the previous record.
The 27-year-old, already the world indoor mile record holder, took command early, surging ahead at the 3-kilometre mark. Kejelcha reached the 5km point in 13:38, passed 10km in 27:12, and maintained his pace to reach 15km in 40:56, where he pulled away from Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko and Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi.
His record-breaking finish eclipsed the previous world record set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon three years ago.
In the women’s race, Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich came close to setting a new record herself, finishing in 1:03:03, marking the second-fastest time ever in the half marathon.