Top African field confirmed for Istanbul Half Marathon
Top Africans commit to Istanbul Half Marathon
JOHANNESBURG, March 25 (ANA) – A top African list of contenders on Wednesday committed to the Istanbul Half Marathon, to be held on April 4.
The World Athletics Elite Label road race will see the long-awaited clash of the reigning and former world record-holders over the distance.
Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya, now the world’s fastest half-marathon runner, improved the time set by his compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in Valencia in December, bringing down the world record to 57:32 from 58:01.
Kamworor, who has three World Athletics Half Marathon Championships gold medals under his belt, will be back on the roads following his recovery from surgery after he was hit by a motorcycle in June last year.
The two Kenyans will be joined by two sub-59 minute runners in Amedework Walelegn of Ethiopia, the Istanbul Half Marathon record-holder who won in 59:50 in 2018, and Uganda’s Stephen Kissa, who made his debut over the distance in February 2020 and finished the year with a time of 58:56.
Kenya’s Leonard Barsoton, sixth at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia last year, will also be one of the fastest athletes on the start line.
The women’s field is equally as strong. Kenya’s marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei and the women-only half-marathon world record-holder Peres Jepchirchir, plus the second fastest female half-marathon runner of all time Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia, will head the line-up.
Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich, the race record-holder and the reigning world marathon champion, will be a co-favourite in the race along with Joan Chelimo Melly. - African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman