SAN FRANCISCO, December 06, (THEWILL) –Â Kenyan long-distance runner Kibiwott Kandie smashed the half marathon world record on Sunday at the Valencia Half Marathon.
The 24-year-old, who finished second at the world half marathon championships in Gdynia in October, raced to cross the finish line in 57 minutes and 32 seconds, knocking 29 seconds from the previous record of 58:01 set by compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in 2019.
All top four runners ran under the previous world best, with current world champion Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda finishing second in 57:37, Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto third in 57:49 and Kenyan Alexander Mutiso taking fourth place in 57:59.
Kandie led the chasing pack, which included Kiplimo, through the 15-kilometre mark in 41:10. The pair traded the lead over the next six kilometres. Then, Kandie made the decisive move, to finish more than a minute off his previous personal best of 58:37.
Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba won the women’s race in 1:05:18, setting the fastest time for a debut over the distance.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
