Kenya’s Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the long-standing women-only world record for 10km*, while Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi set an outright world 5km record of 14:29* at the adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach on Sunday (12).

Tirop, the world 10,000m bronze medallist, put in a decisive surge with little more than two kilometres to go in the 10km, breaking away from fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui before eventually winning in 30:01.

Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m silver medallist, ran away from her opponents after the first kilometre with an incredible solo effort, winning the 5km in 14:29.

Tirop and Chepkirui were part of a five-woman lead pack during the early stages of the 10km and passed through 4km in 12:07. A couple of minutes later, Tirop and Chepkirui had broken away from the rest of their opponents, reaching the half-way point in 15:00 after coving the fifth kilometre in a swift 2:54.

Chepkirui then moved in front of her compatriot and tried to force the pace but was unsuccessful in making a break. The duo continued to run side by side for the best part of three kilometres, but Tirop started her long run for home with about six minutes to go.

Tirop, who won the senior world cross-country title as a teenager back in 2015, passed through 9km in 27:07 with a comfortable lead and was still comfortably inside world record pace. She didn’t ease back for the final kilometre, though, and covered it in another 2:54 to reach the finish line in 30:01.

Chepkirui finished second in 30:17, also inside the previous mark of 30:29 set by Morocco’s Asmae Leghzaoui back in 2002. Nancy Jelagat was third in 30:50.

“I’m so happy to have broken the world record,” said Tirop. “I felt the pace was good and Sheila assisted me a lot. The course was very good too.”

Teferi, contesting the final race of the day, ensured the event ended on a high as she smashed the world 5km record with 14:29, winning by 25 seconds from Ethiopian teenager Melknat Wudu.

Six weeks after her sixth-place finish over 5000m at the Olympic Games, Teferi ran with the pack for the first kilometre, covered just inside three minutes. Then, sensing that the pace wasn’t quite fast enough to challenge the world record, set off on her own and covered the second kilometre in 2:49.

By 3km, which she reached in about 8:43, Teferi had an eight-second lead over the chase pack. She continued to forge ahead, passing 4km in 12:07 and then ended with a 2:52 final kilometre to cross the finish line in 14:29.

Not only did it break the women-only world record of 14:44 set by Beatrice Chepkoech and the 14:43 outright world record set by Sifan Hassan in a mixed race, she also bettered the fastest 5km clocking in history of 14:32, set by Joyciline Jepkosgei before the distance became an official world record event.

“I'm so happy,” said Teferi. “After the Olympics, I knew I was ready to go after this world record. I'm so happy.”

Wudu, a double medallist at the World U20 Championships, took second place in 14:54, just ahead of compatriot Nigisti Haftu.

In the day’s other races, world record-holder Rhonex Kipruto won the men’s 10km in 26:43, the fourth-fastest time in history, while recently crowned world U20 champion Tadese Worku was second in 26:56, an Ethiopian U20 record.

Abel Kipchumba was a convincing winner of the men’s half marathon in 58:48 with fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso Munyao taking second in 59:20, and Brenda Jepleting added to the Kenyan success with a dominant 1:06:52 victory in the women’s race.

Jacob Krop won the men's 5km in 13:06, breaking away from two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris in the second half to finish three seconds ahead of the Ethiopian.

*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

Leading results

WOMEN

5km
1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 14:29
2 Melknat Wudu (ETH) 14:54
3 Nigisti Haftu (ETH) 14:54
4 Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) 15:02
5 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:10

10km
1 Agnes Tirop (KEN) 30:01
2 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 30:17
3 Nancy Jelagat (KEN) 30:50
4 Betty Chepkemoi (KEN) 31:09
5 Dorcas Kimeli (KEN) 31:22

Half marathon
1 Brenda Jepleting (KEN) 1:06:52
2 Besu Sado (ETH) 1:08:15
3 Brillian Jepkorir (KEN) 1:08:28
4 Tgise Haileselase (ETH) 1:08:30
5 Irene Jepchumba (KEN) 1:09:02

MEN

5km
1 Jacob Krop (KEN) 13:06
2 Muktar Edris (ETH) 13:09
3 Hosea Kiplangat (UGA) 13:13
4 Geoffrey Kimutai (KEN) 13:22
5 Daniel Kinyanjui (KEN) 13:27

10km
1 Rhonex Kipruto (KEN) 26:43
2 Tadese Worku (ETH) 26:56
3 Kennedy Kimutai (KEN) 27:09
4 Nicholas Kimeli (KEN) 27:22
5 Bayelign Teshager (ETH) 27:24

Half marathon
1 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 58:48
2 Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 59:20
3 Amos Kurgat Kibiwot (KEN) 59:34
4 Raymond Magut (KEN) 1:00:00
5 Phenus Kipleting (KEN) 1:00:08

Chepkirui and Langat victorious in Vienna

Kenya’s Vibian Chepkirui and Leonard Langat took top honours at the Vienna City Marathon, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (12) in what was the first major marathon worldwide with a strong international elite field and a mass race since the start of the corona pandemic.

Ethiopia’s Derara Hurisa actually crossed the line in first place in the men’s race, but it transpired afterwards that his shoes were not compliant with the rules, so Langat was awarded the victory.

On a day when temperatures reached about 25C during the final part of the race, hopes of records faded during the second half of the race. Chepkirui, a marathon debutante, won in 2:24:29 while Langat clocked 2:09:25.

Vibian Chepkirui wins the Vienna City Marathon (© VCM / Leo Hagen)

The women’s leaders were running well inside the course record pace of 2:22:12 for most of the race as Chepkirui and Ethiopia’s Meseret Dinke and Gelete Burka passed the half way mark in 1:100:47.

Burka had recovered from a fall earlier in the race when she stumbled at a zebra crossing where a section was slightly elevated. However, neither she nor Dinke was able to hold on to Chepkirui, who had opened up a 33-second lead at 30km.

Although she slowed in the final section, Chepkirui’s victory was never in doubt as she crossed the line in 2:24:29, winning by more than a minute. Dinke and Burka finished in 2:25:31 and 2:25:38 respectively. Little over a month after her 12th-place finish in the Olympic marathon, Fabienne Schlumpf of Switzerland was fourth in 2:26:31.

“Had it not been for the heat, I would have run at least two minutes faster,” said Chepkirui.

The leading group in the men’s race passed the half-way mark in 1:03:41, and their 30km split of 1:30:33 still pointed towards a finishing time of about 2:07:30. But soon after, when the last pacemaker dropped out, the race became much slower and more tactical.

Japan’s Kento Kukutani joined the leading group with Langat, Hurisa, Kenya’s Samwel Kiptoo and Ethiopia’s Betesfa Getahun, then the pace increased again. Kukutani and Kiptoo were quickly dropped while the other three battled for victory. Hurisa had the best sprint and crossed the line first, but learned of his disqualification about 45 minutes later.

“Of course I would have preferred to have broken the tape,” said Langat, who achieved his first sub-2:10 performance. “I had no clue about the disqualification until they told me. It was a good race, but the heat was a problem.”

Organisers registered about 26,000 entries from 126 nations for the various events in Vienna across the weekend. 6000 of them were marathon runners. In the 10km race, Julia Mayer smashed the national record with a time of 32:54, becoming the first Austrian woman to break 33 minutes.

Organisers for World Athletics

Leading results

WOMEN
1 Vibian Chepkirui (KEN) 2:24:29
2 Meseret Dinke (ETH) 2:25:31
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:25:38
4 Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:26:31
5 Lucy Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:27:47
6 Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:28:49

MEN
1 Leonard Langat (KEN) 2:09:25
2 Betesfa Getahun (ETH) 2:09:42
3 Edwin Kosgei (KEN) 2:10:10
4 Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:10:37
5 Samwel Kiptoo (KEN) 2:11:16
6 Tadesse Abraham (SUI) 2:12:26

Agnes Jebet TIROP

Agnes Jebet TIROP