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≡ VALENCIA HALF ≡
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha loves the Valencia Half Marathon, having won it in 2019, and finishing second in 2022 and 2023, both times with national records.
He loves it even more now, after setting a world record of 57:30 on Sunday at the “Medio Maraton de Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Zurich.”
Already no. 3 all-time from last year’s 57:41 runner-up finish in Valencia, Kejelcha lined up for his fourth Valencia Half in cool conditions of about 60 F, but with a light rain. Nevertheless, he and six others passed 5 km in a hot 13:38 and then increased the pace to 27:12 at 10 km, at which point only Kenya’s Paris 10,000 m 11th-placer, Daniel Mateiko, and teammate Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi.
Those three were still together at 15 km in 40:56, but Kejelcha was much too strong and pulled away, reaching 20 km with a 39-second lead in 54:32. He charged to the finish in 57:30, getting a world record, one second faster than the 57:31 by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon (POR) in 2021. The splits:
● 13:38 for 5 km
● 27:12 for 10 km (13:34)
● 40:56 for 15 km (13:44)
● 54:32 for 20 km (13:36)
● 57:30 for 21.1 km (2:58)
Mateiko (also known as Daniel Kibet) was second in 58:17, a lifetime best, and Lasoi finished third in 58:21. Mateiko moves up from no. 14 all-time to no. 13.
Said a happy Kejelcha afterwards:
“It was a difficult race. I told myself I had to do 57 minutes, I was looking at it on the clock and I saw that it was possible, despite the rain. I wanted to do it and that’s why I’m very happy.
“At kilometer 15 I was very comfortable and I thought I could get the record. At 18 and 19 I got nervous, there was a change of pace and I didn’t know if I could do it. I was looking at the clock in the car and all the time wondering if I could do it.
“I didn’t feel completely comfortable with the shoes, they were slippery in the rain. It wasn’t easy to turn right. The half marathon record was my dream and I beat it. I’m very happy. I beat my personal record in Valencia and now I’ve beaten the world record.”
Still just 27, Kejelcha has had a wild career, alternating from brilliance to disappointment. He’s a two-time World Indoor gold medalist at 3,000 m from 2016 and 2018 and has silver medals at the 2019 Worlds 10,000 m and the 2023 Worlds Road 5 km.
But he was seventh in the Paris Olympic 10,000 m and sixth in Tokyo in 2021 and fourth at the Worlds 10,000 m in 2015 and 2017. He has the world indoor mile record of 3:47.01 (2019), is no. 2 all-time in the road 5 km (12:50 2023) and no. 3 ever in the road 10 km (26:37 2024).
Now he has the world record in the Half, in his sixth try at the event. No, he’s never run the marathon. Yet.
The women’s race in Valencia was almost a record, too, as Agnes Ngetich (KEN), already the 2024 world leader in the road 5 km and 10 km, and the 10 km world-record holder from her 28:46 at Valencia (!) in January, ran away from the start and won in 1:03:04, the no. 2 performance of all-time.
Only the 2021 Valencia race by Letsenbet Gidey (ETH) of 1:02:52 is faster, and this was Ngetich’s debut at the distance!
She led by 17 seconds by the 5 km mark, 41 seconds at 10 km and tiring, by 14 seconds at 20 km, winning by 17 seconds over Foyten Tesfay (ETH: 1:03:21, now no. 3 all-time) and 29 seconds against Lilian Kasait (KEN: 1:03:32, no. 4 all-time). Splits:
● 14:39 at 5 km
● 29:18 at 10 km (14:39)
● 44:15 at 15 km (14:47)
● 59:42 at 20 km (15:27)
● 1:03:04 for 21.1 km (3:22)
Said the 23-year-old winner:
“I am very happy and proud to have achieved the second fastest time in history in my debut. Valencia will always be in my memory.
“I will always remember my record in the 10K and now this. I hope to run in Valencia again. It was not a mistake to run the first 10K very fast, it was done with the intention of trying to win in Valencia. It is a great achievement for me. I made a good time and I achieved the result despite the rain. One day I will try to get a new record, I hope it will be in Valencia.”
There were some notable additional finishers in this race, with Ethiopian distance stars Ejgayehu Taye (fourth at the Paris 5,000 m) finishing fourth in 1:04:14 in her debut at the distance and now no. 7 all-time,, and Tsigie Gebreselama (2023 World Cross Country silver medalist) finishing fifth in 1:05:18.
By the way, the Valencia marathon is coming up on 1 December.
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