Eritrea&rsquo;s Samuel Tsegay and France&rsquo;s Oph&eacute;lie Claude-Boxberger took top honours at the 20km de Paris on Sunday (14), winning the 40th edition of the IAAF Silver Label road race in 58:23 and 1:09:48 respectively.
From the gun, a large group detached itself from the field. The leading pack then splintered into two parts. Tsegay, Gojjam Belayinem of Ethiopia, Felicien Muhitira of Burundi and Morhad Amdouni of France reached five kilometres in 14:40.
They were followed five seconds later by a group of six men, including the 2015 winner Stephen Ogari and France&rsquo;s Hassan Chahdi.
Amdouni, the 2016 champion, was forced to drop out due to calf pain, leaving Tsegay, Belayinem and Muhitira in contention for victory. The trio passed through the halfway point in 28:56, meaning the second five-kilometre section was covered in 14:16. Alfred Cherop and Chahdi detached themselves from the chasing group and were 19 seconds behind the leaders at 10km.
Belayinem couldn&rsquo;t maintain the pace and was dropped by Tsegay and Muhitira, who passed through 15 kilometres in 43:26, 38 seconds ahead of Belayinem. Chahdi remained in fourth place in 44:20, three seconds ahead of Cherop.
Tsegay, who was a last-minute entrant, made his move soon after 15 kilometres. He built a small lead over the Burundian, who wasn&rsquo;t able to answer to the attack but maintained a good rhythm.
Tsegay, the 2014 world half marathon silver medallist, maintained his advantage to cross the line in 58:23. It was only his second race in 2018 following a 1:02:08 half marathon clocking in March.
Muhitira held on to take second place in 58:35, 12 seconds after the winner. Chahdi caught Belayinem in the closing stages of the race &ndash; the Ethiopian eventually dropped out &ndash; to wind up third in 59:51, 1:07 slower than his time from last year but three places higher.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Liv Westphal, Samira Mezegrane-Saad, Oph&eacute;lie Claude-Boxberger, Agnes Keino and Chaltu Dida passed five kilometres in 17:40. Keino then couldn&rsquo;t sustain the pace and the quartet, spearheaded by Mezegrane-Saad, went through the halfway point in 34:56.
Soon after Dida, who was fourth last year in 1:07:49, ratcheted up the pace soon after. She opened a small gap over her opponents and reached 15 kilometres in 52:31. With five kilometres remaining, she had a lead of five seconds over Claude-Boxberger with Mezegrane-Saad and Westphal a further two seconds behind.
Claude-Boxberger wasn&rsquo;t finished, though. She closed the gap on Dida before making a decisive move as the finish line loomed. She pulled off her first victory at this race in 1:09:48, 36 years after her father Jacky Boxberger won the 1982 edition.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy to win today,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I love the track but I get tears off my eyes to move up to the road. My father (who died in 2001) would have been very proud.&rdquo;
Claude-Boxberger&rsquo;s victory also ended the 17-year drought of French success in the women&rsquo;s race at the 20km de Paris.
Dida finished second in 1:09:57, as Westphal faltered in the waning stages to round out the podium in 1:11:10.
Leading results
Men 1 Samuel Tsegay (ERI) 58:23 2 Felician Muhitira (RWA) 58:35 3 Hassan Chahdi (FRA) 59:51 4 Alfred Cherop (KEN) 1:00:25 5 John Njoki (KEN) 1:00:59
Women 1 Oph&eacute;lie Claude-Boxberger (FRA) 1:09:48 2 Chaltu Dida (ETH) 1:09:57 3 Liv Westphal (FRA) 1:11:10 4 Samira Mezeghrane-Saad (FRA) 1:11:10 5 Alice Finot (FA) 1:15:28
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF
<h3> Cheptegei and Chesang break African all-comers&rsquo; records at Durban 10km</h3>
Commonwealth 10,000m champions Joshua Cheptegei and Stella Chesang secured a Ugandan double at the FNB Durban 10K CitySurfRun, producing the fastest times ever recorded on African soil.
Cheptegei won in 27:16 to improve on his own course record by 12 seconds. In second, Switzerland&rsquo;s Julien Wanders broke Mo Farah&rsquo;s European record by the same margin, clocking 27:32.
Cheptegei, the world 10,000m silver medallist, set off at a brisk pace and covered the first three kilometres in 8:10. Wanders closed in on Cheptegei at half way, reached in 13:53, but the 22-year-old Ugandan broke away again in the second half and went on to win by 16 seconds.
Kenya&rsquo;s Moses Koech was third in 27:46, one second ahead of Uganda&rsquo;s Stephen Kissa. Three weeks after winning the Cape Town Marathon, Stephen Mokoka was the top South African finisher, placing sixth in 28:18.
Like Cheptegei, Chesang made her intentions known at the start of the women&rsquo;s race. She led compatriot and defending champion Mercyline Chelangat by six seconds at three kilometres and 11 seconds at half way.
Chesang&rsquo;s winning margin grew to 22 seconds with kilometre to go, and although Chelangat made up a bit of ground in the closing stages, Chesang was away and clear. She won in an African all-comers&rsquo; record of 31:14, taking 24 seconds off the national record Chelangat set last year.
Chelangat also finished inside that mark, clocking 31:33 to place second. South Africa&rsquo;s Irvette van Zyl was third in a PB of 32:06.
<h3> Kyeva breaks Poznan course record</h3>
Seven years after winning the PKO Poznan Marathon, Kenya&rsquo;s Cosmas Mutuku Kyeva returned to the IAAF Bronze Label road race on Sunday (14) and improved on his own course record.
The 33-year-old won in 2:11:45 to take eight seconds from the mark he set in 2011. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tesfanesh Merga set a PB to win the women&rsquo;s race in 2:32:31, the second-fastest winning time in the 19-year history of the event.
Paced by Poland&rsquo;s Szymon Kulka, the early leading pack of six men had been whittled down to four runners by the half-way point, reached in 1:05:20. Kyeva, fellow Kenyan Silas Kipngetich Sang and Ethiopian duo Abayneh Belachew Endale and Getachew Kene Tufa stuck together through 30 kilometres, reached in 1:33:17. 
<div id="5bc36e89874a3808d4fb5525" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/50c8208c-5979-4a87-9682-7fa0e565aa86.png');">&nbsp;</div>
Cosmas Mutuku Kyeva wins the Poznan Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
Five kilometres later, just Kyeva and Belachew remained at the front as Tufa and Sang started to fade. Kyeva proved to be the strongest in the final two kilometres and went on to win in 2:11:45 with Belachew finishing six seconds later. Sang placed a distant third in 2:14:32.
Joined by Ethiopian compatriots Tsgereda Girma and Alemitu Ajema, Tesfanesh Merga went through half way in the women&rsquo;s race in 1:14:47, putting them on schedule to break the course record of 2:31:55.
Girma dropped behind her two teammates as they approached 30 kilometres. Merga then forged ahead as Ajema started to fade with Girma moving back up into second place. Merga continued to extend her lead in the final few kilometres and won by more than two minutes in 2:32:31.
Girma finished second in 2:34:59 with Ajema almost a minute adrift in third place, clocking 2:35:57.
Leading results
Men 1 Cosmas Mutuku Kyeva (KEN) 2:11:45 2 Abayneh Belachew Endale (ETH) 2:11:51 3 Silas Kipngetich Sang (KEN) 2:14:32 4 Getachew Kene Tufa (ETH) 2:18:09 5 Abdelkabir Saji (MAR) 2:18:36
Women 1 Tesfanesh Merga (ETH) 2:32:31 2 Tsgereda Girma (ETH) 2:34:59 3 Alemitu Ajema (ETH) 2:35:57 4 Agnieszka Gortel-Maciuk (POL) 2:37:16 5 Andżelika Dzięgiel (POL) 2:42:01
<h3> Kipkemboi runs Romanian all-comers&rsquo; record in Bucharest</h3>
One year after finishing second at the Raiffeisen Bank Bucharest Marathon, Kenya&rsquo;s Hosea Kipkemboi took top honours at the IAAF Bronze Label road race with a Romanian all-comers&rsquo; record of 2:11:32.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Almaz Gelana, meanwhile, successfully defended her title, clocking 2:41:29 to win by almost nine minutes.
Having run alongside compatriot Joel Kimutai for most of the race, Kipkemboi broke free in the closing stages to win by 28 seconds, taking one minute and one second off his previous PB to achieve the first marathon victory of his career.
Kimutai&rsquo;s time of 2:11:59 was also inside the previous course record and all-comers&rsquo; best. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Kaleb Kashebo was third in 2:13:22.
While the men&rsquo;s race went down to the wire, Gelana was unopposed in the women&rsquo;s contest. Her winning time was 27 seconds quicker than her mark from last year.

Eritrea’s Samuel Tsegay and France’s Ophélie Claude-Boxberger took top honours at the 20km de Paris on Sunday (14), winning the 40th edition of the IAAF Bronze Label road race in 58:23 and 1:09:48 respectively.

Road round-up: Tsegay and Claude-Boxberger prevail in Paris, Cheptegei triumphs in Durban

Jemal Yimer and Edith Chelimo ran to convincing victories at the Marseille Cassis, the demanding IAAF Silver Label Road Race whose 39th edition took place on Sunday (29).
Yimer was one of the main pre-race favourites, although an unknown factor had remained: how would the 21-year-old Ethiopian manage his first effort over the 20km distance?
He responded in high style.
A group of ten runners including the favourites &ndash;Yimer, Evans Cheruiyot, Wilfried Kimeli Kimetei, the Moroccan pair Abdenasir Fahti and Hamza Sahili, Terefa Deleba, Felicien Muhitira as well as Tesfaye Ambesa-- passed five kilometres in 15:32. Nobody was anxious to take the lead, explaining the sluggish pace. Perhaps they dreaded the tough 327-metre climb up to the Col de la Gineste, thus continued to keep an eye on each other until they reached the summit, passing the 10-kilometre mark in 31:39.
Then, as the lead pack began the descent towards Cassis, Cheruiyot made a move 12 kilometres into the race, breaking up the field and opening a small gap on Yimer. The Ethiopian however rejoined the leader soon after, before injecting a big surge with six kilometres remaining.
He passed the 15-kilometre mark in 45:42, a few seconds ahead of Cheruiyot as Kimitei, who lowered his half marathon personal best to 1:00:12 six weeks ago, drifted back.
Cheruiyot, who clocked a 1:00:59 half marathon PB in May, tried to maintain contact but eventually had to leave the victory to the young Ethiopian.
Yimer produced an impressive display of strength in the waning stages, covering the final five-kilometre stretch in a swift 13:34 to break the tape in 59:16.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy with this win,&rdquo; said an exhausted Yimer, who produced a notable year. Fourth at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in March, Yimer was fifth at 10,000m at the World Championships in August and also produced a 27:54 10km personal best on the roads in September.
Yimer might compete in the Houilles 10km (near Paris) at this end of the year and will contest a half marathon at the beginning of the next year, before eyeing the track season.
Cheruiyot was second, 34 seconds behind the winner while Kimitei rounded up the podium in 1:00:09.
Abdellatif Meftah was the first Frenchman across the line, clocking 1:03:09 to finish 14th.&nbsp;
<h3>Chelimo smashes course record</h3>
While Yimer pulled off the first success of his young career, it was the second in a row for Chelimo, following her strong win at the Cardiff Half Marathon in early October where she smashed her personal best to 1:05:52 to become the seventh fastest women in history.
Nevertheless it wasn&rsquo;t an easy task today for the Kenyan. The Ethiopian pair of Muliye Dekebo and Dera Dida managed to stay with Chelimo during the climb up to the Col de la Gineste, passing the five and 10-kilometre marks in 16:21 and 35:07 respectively.
Chelimo then ratcheted up the pace as Dida and Dekebo began to falter. Chelimo covered the next five-kilometre section in 15:01 to hit the 15-kilometre checkpoint in 50:08 before extending her lead over the final stretch to win in 1:05:58, taking a massive 64 seconds from the 1:07:02 course record set last year by Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei. It&rsquo;s noteworthy that the final three kilometres of the course were slightly modified and a little tougher than in previous editions.
This was likely Chelimo&rsquo;s last appearance of the year. She&rsquo;s slated to run the Houston Half Marathon on 14 January.
Dekebo held on to finish second in 1:06:41, more than a minute ahead of Dida.
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF
<div>Leading Results:</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>MEN -</div>
<div>1. Jemal Yimer, ETH 59:16</div>
<div>2. Evans Cheruiyot, KEN 59:50</div>
<div>3. Wilfried Kimeli Kimitei, KEN 1:00:09</div>
<div>4. Abdenasir Fahti, MAR 1:00:21</div>
<div>5. Hamza Sahili, MAR 1:00:23</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>WOMEN -</div>
<div>1. Edith Chelimo, KEN 1:05:58</div>
<div>2. Muliye Dekebo, ETH 1:06:41</div>
<div>3. Dera Dida, ETH 1:07:54</div>
<div>4. Stacy Ndiwa, KEN 1:08:21</div>
<div>5. Sofiya Shemsu, ETH 1:08:51</div>

Jemal Yimer and Edith Chelimo ran to convincing victories at the Marseille Cassis, the demanding IAAF Silver Label Road Race whose 39th edition took place on Sunday (29).

Yimer and Chelimo claim impressive victories at Marseille Cassis 20km

Edith Chelimo, the seventh-fastest woman in history for the half marathon, will be the favourite at the 39th edition of the Marseille-Cassis 20km, an IAAF Silver Label road race which will take place on Sunday (29).
Following a 1:10:59 third-place finish in Paris and a 1:08:57 runner-up spot in Paris earlier this year, the 31-year-old Kenyan won the recent Cardiff Half Marathon in 1:05:52. It took more than three minutes off her PB and moved her to seventh on the world all-time list for performances set on record-eligible courses.
Based on her strong result in Cardiff, Chelimo appears to be the clear favourite for Sunday&rsquo;s race. The Marseille-Cassis course record of 1:07:02, set last year by Kenya&rsquo;s Joyciline Jepkosgei, could even be in jeopardy.
With a best of 1:08:06 set when finishing second in Houston in January, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dera Dida has the second-fastest time of the field. Since then, the 21-year-old won the Ethiopian 10,000m title on her debut at the distance and went on to reduce her PB to 30:56.48 before finishing 14th at the IAAF World Championships in London.
Kenya&rsquo;s Stacy Ndiwa and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Muliye Dekebo should also be in the running for podium places. Ndiwa, who finished fifth at the 2015 World Cross Country Championships, last month set PBs of 31:37 for 10km and 1:09:09 for the half marathon. Dekebo, meanwhile, set a PB of 1:09:10 earlier this year at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon.
<h3>Kimitei takes on Yimer</h3>
While there&rsquo;s a clear favourite in the women&rsquo;s race, the men&rsquo;s contest appears to be wide open.
The no.1 bib given to Wilfried Kimeli Kimitei implies the Kenyan is the favourite. The 32-year-old improved his half marathon PB six weeks ago, finishing fourth in Usti nad Labem in 1:00:12. The African 10,000m silver medallist won the 2016 Nairobi Half Marathon, held at high altitude, in 1:00:38.
Although Sunday&rsquo;s race will be the longest distance he has ever contested, Jemal Yimer will start as one of the favourites. The 21-year-old Ethiopian has enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2017, finishing fourth at the World Cross Country Championships in Kampala and fifth over 10,000m at the World Championships in London. His most recent performance was a 27:54 10km PB in Prague last month.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Terefa Deleba and Kenya&rsquo;s Edwin Kimutai will also have a role to play, after improving their respective half marathon personal bests in 2017. The former set a time of 1:00:22 in Istanbul back in April while the latter finished runner-up in 1:00:57 in Karlovy Vary in May, just three seconds behind Kimitei.
Kenya&rsquo;s Evans Cheruiyot, not to be confused with the 2008 Chicago Marathon champion and 2007 world half marathon bronze medallist of the same name, placed a close fourth behind Kimitei and Kimutai in Karlovy Vary in a PB of 1:00:59 and should also be in contention here.
Following his 10km PB of 28:44 in Langueux in July where he was runner-up, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tesfaye Ambesa will be another man to watch.
Felicien Muhitira also cannot be discounted. The Rwandan placed fourth at the Paris 20km earlier this month in 58:43 and prevailed at the Marvejols-Mende, the classic French race which is similarly challenging to this weekend's race.
The Marseille-Cassis route requires the 15,000 runners to climb the demanding 327-metre Col de la Gineste halfway through the race before the descent towards Cassis. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Atsedu Tsegay holds the course record at 58:11.
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF

Edith Chelimo, the seventh-fastest woman in history for the half marathon, will be the favourite at the 39th edition of the Marseille-Cassis 20km, an IAAF Silver Label road race which will take place on Sunday (29).

All eyes on Chelimo at Marseille Cassis 20km

Collins Chebii and Gebayanesh Ayele came up trumps at the 20 Kilometres de Paris to take the titles at the IAAF Bronze Label road race on Sunday (8).
Defending champion Mourad Amdouni was a late withdrawal due to lack of form. &ldquo;I went back to training too late (to be competitive),&rdquo; the 29-year-old said on social media on Saturday.
His absence opened up the way to Stephan Ogari and Alfred Cherop, who finished second and third respectively last year, just a few seconds behind Amdouni. But it was Chebii, the fourth-place finisher last year, who eventually reaped the benefits.
From the gun, a large group separated itself from the field and covered the first kilometre in 2:55. All the favourites were in the group, apart from Hassan Chahdi, who was distanced by some 20 metres. &ldquo;I thought the tempo would be cooler,&rdquo; said the French marathoner, who promptly bridged the gap.
Spearheaded by Ogari, a pack of 14 runners reached the five-kilometre mark in 14:53 before Chahdi took over from Ogari and ramped up the pace. The lead pack was subsequently whittled down to nine men and they passed through the half-way mark in 29:07, meaning the second five-kilometre section was covered in 14:14.
Ogari and Chahdi continued to share the lead as the latter pressed on with seven kilometres remaining. European champion Meucci, fifth in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships London 2017, was the next to drift back, passing the 15km mark 30 seconds in arrears of the front pack (43:47 against 44:17).
After 17 kilometres, Chahdi started to struggle, undoubtedly paying for his earlier efforts.
With two kilometres to go, Chebii &ndash; whose best credentials this season had been an 8:34.46 clocking for the 3000m steeplechase &ndash; made a break at the front of the lead pack. He opened a little gap over his opponents and managed to hold them off to win in 58:28, pulling off his first victory at this level.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy with this success. I wanted to win and I started pushing hard at the 18km,&rdquo; said the 20-year-old, who will be aiming to improve his relatively modest half marathon PB of 1:04:15 set last January. &ldquo;My next goal is to run a half marathon but I don&rsquo;t know yet which one.&rdquo;
Menjo finished second, six seconds in arrears, as Florian Carvalho held on to take third, 12 seconds behind the winner in what was a frantic last kilometre.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very satisfied,&rdquo; said Carvalho, who had never raced farther than 10 kilometres until today. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think I would be able to run a sub-59 time. I was good at the aerobic level, but from the 13km it was very tough at the muscular level. I have to work still a lot. My goal is to clock about 28:30 over 10 kilometres and then to run a half marathon to qualify for the World Half Marathon Championships.&rdquo;
<h3>Ayele dominates Jeptoo</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s contest, a group of six runners including Chaltu Dida, Gebayanesh Ayele, Gudeta Bekelech, Susan Jeptoo, Mekdes Woldu, and Nancy Arusei hit the five-kilometre mark in 16:38. Then Ayele, who entered the race at short notice, ratcheted up the rhythm, which only Dida, Bekelech and Jeptoo were able to sustain.
The quartet reached the 10-kilometre checkpoint in 32:44, with Arusei 10 seconds adrift and Woldu 22 in arrears.
Dida, who won the &lsquo;Paris-Versailles&rsquo; race two weeks ago, then faded and was followed soon after by Bekelech, leaving Jeptoo and Ayele competing for the victory.
The former appeared to be the favourite courtesy a recent half marathon PB of 1:09:02, more than a minute quicker than Ayele&rsquo;s best.
But Ayele continued to press and with five kilometres remaining, Jeptoo, who was third last year, couldn&rsquo;t live with the pace. Ayele extended her lead in the closing stages and broke the tape in 1:06:02, 14 seconds ahead of her compatriot, as Bekelech rounded the podium in 1:06:40.
Sophie Duarte was the first Frenchwoman, wounding up seventh in a time of 1:09:35.
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Collins Chebii (KEN) 58:28 2 Josphat Kiprono Menjo (KEN) 58:34 3 Florian Carvalho (FRA) 58:40 4 Felicien Muhitira (RWA) 58:43 5 Elvis Tabarach (KEN) 58:43 6 Hassan Chahdi (FRA) 58:44
Women 1 Gebayanesh Ayele (ETH) 1:06:02 2 Susan Jeptoo (KEN) 1:06:16 3 Gudeta Bekelech (ETH) 1:06:40 4 Chaltu Dida (ETH) 1:07:49 5 Nancy Arusei (KEN) 1:08:30 6 Mekdes Woldu (ERI) 1:08:54

Collins Chebii and Gebayanesh Ayele came up trumps at the 20 Kilometres de Paris to take the titles at the IAAF Bronze Label road race on Sunday (8).

Chebii and Ayele prevail at Paris 20km

The same trio who raced to the podium last year will be in the running at the 39th edition of the 20km de Paris, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (7).
Last year Mourad Amdouni became the first French athlete to win the Paris 20km since Philippe Remond in 2001. The 29-year-old will attempt to retain his title although his form is unclear as he hasn&rsquo;t run since last February. He then clocked an indoor 5000m PB of 13:11.18 in Birmingham, but was injured following that strong performance and missed the IAAF World Championships London 2017.
Stephan Ogari will be attempting to move up from his second place showing last year. The 2015 champion was beaten by Amdouni just by one second (respectively 59:18 and 59:19). Nevertheless it&rsquo;s attempting the impossible to assess his shape as the Kenyan hasn&rsquo;t run yet in 2017.
Alfred Cherop rounded out the podium last year, seven seconds adrift of the winner. Actually, the 31 year-old Kenyan has collected numerous places of honour in this event, finishing third three times --most notably in 2012 when he set his 20 km PB of 58:20-- backed up by fourth and sixth place showings as well. He has a half marathon best of 1:01:21 set five years ago.
Cherop&rsquo;s only race this season was the Annecy Marathon, where he wound up fourth in 2:13:33.
Rwanda&rsquo;s Felicien Muhitira appears to be one of the favourite, if not the main one. The 22-year-old set a 10,000m personal best of 28:12.75 last April. He also won the challenging French Classic &ldquo;Marvejols-Mende&rdquo; in July before clocking a half marathon PB of 1:01:56 two weeks ago.&nbsp;
Daniele Meucci will definitely be a strong contender. The Italian will be back in the competition following his fifth place in the World Championships marathon, a distance over which he is the European champion. Meucci, who&rsquo;ll compete here for the first time, clocked a PB of 59:03 over 20km en route to his half marathon season&rsquo;s best of 1:02:17 in Praha last April and has a half marathon best of 1:01:06, a time set in New York in 2013.&nbsp;
Another Frenchman could play a role as Hassan Chahdi already shined in the French capital. He indeed clocked a personal best of 1:01:38 over 13.1 miles in Paris back in 2015. Since then Chadhi has moved up to the marathon and improved his personal best to 2:10:20 in Paris last April.
Not to be discounted either is Getnet Gedamu. The Ethiopian won the 20 km de Maroilles in 1:01:19 five months ago as well as the Auray Half Marathon in a personal best of 1:03:49 earlier September.
A thick French contingent will also include Timoth&eacute;e Bommier, who was fifth last year in 1:00:04, Benjamin Malaty, who finished 11th at the Berlin Marathon two weeks ago as well as the miler Florian Carvalho, who will move up to longer distances &ndash; the 2012 1500m European silver medallist holds a 10 km PB of 28:46 set two years ago on the challenging course of Rome.
Kenya&rsquo;s Evans Kiprop Cheruiyot still holds the course record of 57:19, a time which he set in 2005.
<h3>Jeptoo the favourite in women&rsquo;s race</h3>
On the women&rsquo;s side, in the absence of the last year&rsquo;s champion Etagegne Woldu, Susan Jeptoo seems to be the favourite. The 30-year-old Kenyan finished third in 2016 and showed her current form by clocking a new personal best of 32:11 over 10km in Arras in August. The next week in Lille she improved her half marathon best to 1:09:02, finishing runner-up.
Her main opponent should be Ethiophia&rsquo;s Chaltu Dida, who won the French Classic &ldquo;Paris-Versailles&rdquo; two weeks ago. She also beat her half marathon PB in September, finishing runner-up in 1:15:05 in Auray.&nbsp;
French hopes will rest on Sophie Duarte, the 2013 European cross country champion. Her best performance this year was a 32:38 10km in March.
The course record is held by Rose Chelimo, who recorded 1:05:01 in 2014.
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF

The same trio who raced to the podium last year will be in the running at the 39th edition of the 20km de Paris, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (7).


Amdouni aiming to retain Paris 20km title

Henry Kiplagat and Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya triumphed at the 38th edition of the challenging Marseille Cassis, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race in southern France, on Sunday (30).
As soon as the gun sounded, a large group led by Rwanda&rsquo;s Gervais Hakizimana detached itself from the rest of the field. Then, about three kilometres into the race, both Kiplagat and Edwin Rotich ramped up the pace and opened a gap over the rest of the pack.
They hit the five-kilometre mark in 15:15 and continued to push hard during the tough 327-metre climb up to the Col de la Gineste. They went through the halfway point in 31:43, two kilometres before starting the descent towards Cassis.&nbsp;
The gap between the leading duo and the chase pair of Remmy Ndiwa and Ezrah Sang continued to grow as Rotich and Kiplagat passed 15 kilometres in 46:03. They then took advantage of the downhill section to hurtle down the descent towards the waning stages.
With 500 metres to go, Kiplagat injected a big surge on a small hill to drop Rotich and pull off the victory in 59:28. Kiplagat covered the final five kilometres in a swift 13:25.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy to win today,&rdquo; said the 34-year-old, who holds a half marathon personal best of 1:00:01. &ldquo;I thought I wouldn&rsquo;t be in a very good form but when I saw I was at the front I took my chance.&rdquo;
Kiplagat succeeded 2012 and 2015 winner Edwin Kipyego who was unable to make the trip to France to defend his title, thus thwarting his bid to become just the third runner to win this event three times.
Rotich, who couldn&rsquo;t respond to the late race charge, crossed the line five second in arrears to settle for second.
&ldquo;I was troubled by some foot problem in the end,&rdquo; said a disappointed Rotich, who clocked a 59:32 half marathon lifetime best a week ago. &ldquo;I would have preferred that Edwin Kipyego took part in the race to run faster.&rdquo;
Kiplagat led a Kenyan 1-2-3 as Ndiwa wound up third in 1:00:45, just three seconds ahead of Sang.
<h3>Jepkosgei shatters women&rsquo;s course record</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s contest, Jepkosgei produced a dominant performance to win in 1:07:00.
No one could sustain her pace and she never faded, even on the challenging Col de la Gineste, as she forged on to lower the previous course record, set by Kenya&rsquo;s Mercy Kibarus in 2012, by 54 seconds.
It should be noted that last year&rsquo;s winner, Peres Jepchirchir, ran faster, prevailing in Cassis in 1:06:01. But the course was shortened by about 400 metres due to road works near the start line in Marseille.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really satisfied to win,&rdquo; said the 23-year-old, who finished 18th overall. &ldquo;I still felt in a good form following my 31:08 10km personal best (in early September). I struggled a lot with the succession of uphill and downhill sections but I&rsquo;m very happy.&rdquo;
With her victory, Jepkosgei extended the Kenyan winning streak in the women&rsquo;s race to seven editions.
Her compatriot Parendis Lekapana was a distant second in 1:09:25 as Ethiopia&rsquo;s Afera Godfay rounded the podium in 1:10:20.
The race began in cool and sunny conditions, but temperatures later reached nearly 25C in the finishing area at the port de Cassis. Approximately 15,000 runners entered the race.
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Henry Kiplagat (KEN) 59:28 2 Edwin Rotich (KEN) 59:33 3 Remmy Ndiwa (KEN) 1:00:45
Women 1 Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 1:07:00 2 Parendis Lekapana (KEN) 1:09:25 3 Godfay Afera (ETH) 1:10:20

Henry Kiplagat and Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya triumphed at the 38th edition of the challenging Marseille Cassis, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race in southern France, on Sunday (30).

Kiplagat and Jepkosgei prevail in Marseille Cassis 20km

Edwin Kipyego will be looking to defend his title at the 38th edition of the challenging 20km French classic Marseille Cassis, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (30).
Kipyego, who also won in 2012, was not only the 2015 champion but he also improved the course record with 57:18. The 26-year-old Kenyan could become the seventh athlete to achieve back-to-back success in the race and could also join the most prolific Marseille Cassis winners, Jean-Pierre Louvet and Tony Martins, with three titles over the distance.
But it won&rsquo;t be an easy task for Kipyego, who earlier this year finished 12th at the World Half Marathon Championships.
Edwin Rotich, 28, should be one of his rivals, if not the main one. The Kenyan is in good form, having improved his half marathon PB to 59:32 with his third place finish in Valencia. Rotich&rsquo;s record over the half marathon is just two seconds outside Kipyego&rsquo;s, 59:30 from 2015.
Kipyego&rsquo;s last outing was a 1:00:44 run in Yanghou in April where he finished runner-up. He clocked his season best of 1:00:27 when he won in Den Haag one month earlier.
Not to be discounted is Kenyan Remmy Ndiwa who in March clocked a 1:00:06 half marathon lifetime best. He was the runner-up in Lisboa in early October in 1:02:48.
Other contenders for the podium include Kenyan pair of Henry Kiplagat, whose 1:00:01 is the third fastest PB in the field, and Ezrah Sang, who brings a lifetime best of 1:00:36 to the line. Eritrea&rsquo;s&nbsp; Simon Tesfaye, who clocked 28:27 and 1:01:00 over 10km and the half marathon this year, could also be a factor.
<h3>Can Afera end Kenyan women&rsquo;s dominance?</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s contest, two-time defending champion Peres Jepchirchir won&rsquo;t be gunning for a &ldquo;hat-trick&rdquo;, leaving the race wide open. Kenya&rsquo;s Peninah Arusei has the fastest PB in the field with 1:07:48, but that was set six years ago. The 2010 world half marathon bronze medallist recently clocked 1:09:08 and won the Lille Half-Marathon last year in 1:08:56.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Godfay Afera seems to have the best form at the moment. The 25-year-old lowered her personal best to 1:08:32 in Usti Nad Labem last month, where she finished third. She will be attempting to become the first Ethiopian to prevail in Cassis since 2009.
But Joyline Jepkosgei and Parendis Lekapana will be aiming to extend the Kenyan winning streak in the women&rsquo;s race to seven editions. The former won the Karlovy Vary Half Marathon in a PB of 1:09:07 in May while the latter triumphed in Krems in a best mark of 1:09:49.
Both French half marathon champions Fanny Pruvost and Thierry Guibault will take part in this year&rsquo;s race along with more than 15,000 runners, which makes Marseille Cassis one of the most popular road races in France.
The course is unique insofar as runners must climb up the challenging 327-metre Col de la Gineste halfway through the race before the descent towards Cassis.
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF

Edwin Kipyego will be looking to defend his title at the 38th edition of the challenging 20km French classic Marseille Cassis, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (30).

Kipyego aiming to retain Marseille Cassis title

Edwin Kipyego and Peres Jepchirchir confirmed their status as favourites for the 37th edition of the Marseille-Cassis 20km, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, with the Kenyan pair winning over the challenging course along France&rsquo;s Mediterranean coastline on Sunday (25). Like plenty of winners of past editions, both Kipyego and Jepchirchir made the decisive surges on the Col de la Gineste, the tough 327m climb at halfway, just outside the French port town of Cassis.After a fast opening quarter of the race, Kipyego started to push the pace hard. Only Eritrea&rsquo;s Berhane Tekle was able to stay with the Kenyan initially but on the first uphill section of the race, coming after the fifth kilometre, the 2012 winner made a second move and this time Tekle couldn&rsquo;t respond. &nbsp;The gap continued to grow over the next kilometres with Kipyego already holding a decisive lead on the Col de la Gineste, and the 24-year-old Kenyan eventually won with relative ease in 57:18. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy," he said. "I wanted to force the pace at the foot of the climb to be sure to make the difference."Kipyego's time wasn't a course record because the distance was shortened by about 400 metres in the days before the race due to road works near the start line in Marseille. However, it is likely Kipyego would have fallen just outside the course record which is still held by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Atsedu Tsegay, who ran 58:11 in 2011. Tekle hung on to second place in 58:45, more than a minute behind Kipyego, with the 2014 winner Titus Mbishei coming through for third in 58:55. &nbsp;<h3>Jepchirchir successfully defends her title </h3>Jepchirchir not only extended the Kenyan winning streak in the women&rsquo;s race to six editions but also became the first woman to win back-to-back Marseille-Cassis titles since Morocco&rsquo;s Hassania Darami won a second time &ndash; when the race was a half marathon &ndash; in 1988. From the gun, a small group detached itself from the rest of the field. Jepchirchir, Bahrain&rsquo;s Shitaye Esthete and Kenya&rsquo;s Perendis Lekabana led the pack. Jepchirchir then pushed the pace at the end of the Col de la Ginest before securing her win on the long descent towards Cassis.She crossed the finish line in 1:06:01. Unlike Kipyeo, she almost certainly would have improved the course record, which remains in the hands of her compatriot Mercy Kibarus, who ran 1:07:58 in 2012.&ldquo;If the climb was very difficult, the race was easier than last year because weather conditions were better with less wind,&rdquo; said Jepchirchir. Jepchirchir&rsquo;s win adds to her string of impressive victories this autumn. It&rsquo;s her third win in a row after running personal best times at the Prague 10km in 30:55 and at the Mattoni Usti nad Labem Half Marathon in 1:07:17. Esthete, sixth in the 10,000m at both the 2012 Olympics and at the 2013 IAAF World Championships, was second in 1:06:56 which itself was an impressive result but also shows just how good Jepchirchir&rsquo;s run was. Lekabana rounded out the podium in third place with 1:07:15. Quentin Guillon for the IAAF

Edwin Kipyego and Peres Jepchirchir confirmed their status as favourites for the 37th edition of the Marseille-Cassis 20km, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, with the Kenyan pair winning over the challenging course along France’s Mediterranean coastline on Sunday (25). 

Kipyego and Jepchirchir triumph at challenging Marseille-Cassis 20km

The 37th edition of the Marseille-Cassis 20km, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, will see Kenyan runners Titus Mbishei and Peres Jepchirchir defend their crowns on Sunday (25).Mbishei took the victory last year crossing the line in 59:12. The 24-year-old is certainly familiar with the city of Marseille, where the race starts, as it was where he also won and set his 10km personal best of 27:32 in 2011. This year, Mbishei ran a 10,000m personal best of 27:31:48 on the track and finished 10th at the Valencia Half Marathon in 1:01:47 just last weekend.The silver medallist in the junior men&rsquo;s race at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships should be a very strong contender to retain his title despite the presence of so many high quality runners. However, his compatriot Edwin Kipyego is probably the race favourite. He set an impressive new best in the Copenhagen Half Marathon last month when finishing third in 59:30. He was then runner-up in Rennes over 10km in 28:19 two weeks ago. Kipyego also knows about the challenging course along France&rsquo;s Mediterranean coastline after winning three years ago in 58:16, just five seconds outside the course record set the year before by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Atsedu Tsegay, who ran 58:11 in 2011.Another good candidate for victory is Vincent Yator. The 26 year-old Kenyan won the Paris Half Marathon in 1:00:12 last March before clocking his best of 59:55 over 13.1 miles when finishing fourth in Yangzhou a month later. Nevertheless, he didn&rsquo;t shown his best form in his latest outing, finishing 13th in Valencia last week-end.In addition to Mbishei, Kipyego and Yator, further Kenyans who could enter the reckoning include Cosmas Birech, who placed fourth in the Lille Half Marathon last September in 1:00:23, and&nbsp; Emmanuel Bor, who ran a 1:01:06 half marathon personal best to win in Porto last September.<h3>Jepchirchir has course record chances</h3>On the women&rsquo;s side, Kenya&rsquo;s Peris Jepchirchir will attempt to retain her title. Last year she clocked 1:10:04, at the time rather adrift of the women&rsquo;s course record by Mercy Kibarus when she ran 1:07:58 in 2012. However, Jepchirchir has been in great form this autumn, taking the victories and running personal best times at the Prague 10km in 30:55 and at the Mattoni Usti nad Labem Half Marathon in a massive 1:07:17 and Kibarus&rsquo; course record Although repeat victories have been quite common in the men&rsquo;s race, Jepchirchir will also be aiming to become the first woman to win back-to-back Marseille-Cassis titles since Morocco&rsquo;s Hassania Darami won a second time &ndash; when the race was a half marathon &ndash; in 1988. Bahrain&rsquo;s Shitaye Eshete should be Jepchirchir&rsquo;s main rival. Better known as a track runner, Eshete was both sixth in the 10,000m at London 2012 Olympics Games and at 2013 IAAF World Championships, Eshete moved up to the half marathon this autumn and was second in Usti Nad Labem in 1:10:14, albeit almost three minutes behind Jepchirchir.Ethiopia&rsquo;s Bekelech Bedada and Kenya&rsquo;s Gladys Kipsoi will also be in contention for a place on the podium. The former was runner-up last year and finished third in 1:10:13 in the Paris Half Marathon last March while the latter was third at the 2013 Marseille-Cassis 20km and won the Paris Half Marathon in 2013. There is no doubt that the Marseille-Cassis 20km is a hard race. The start takes place near the well-known Marseille&rsquo;s Velodrome Stadium and then the course goes along the Mediterranean before a tough 327-metre climb up to the Col de la Gineste halfway through the race.Runners then hurtle down a long descent towards the finish line in the port town of Cassis. Approximately 15,000 runners are entered in this year&rsquo;s race.&nbsp; Quentin Guillon for the IAAF

The 37th edition of the Marseille-Cassis 20km, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, will see Kenyan runners Titus Mbishei and Peres Jepchirchir defend their crowns on Sunday (25).

Mbishei and Jepchirchir aiming to retain Marseille-Cassis 20km titles 

Kenyans Stephen Ogari and Nancy Kimaiyo fulfilled their role as race favourites at the 37th edition of 20 kilometres de Paris, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (11).Although the cool and sunny conditions were perfect for running fast, both races were slower than the past three editions.Kimaiyo led a Kenyan 1-2-3 in the women&rsquo;s race and was a comfortable winner over her compatriot Lucy Njeri Macharia.This autumn, Kimaiyo has twice lowered twice her half-marathon PB, clocking 1:11:48 in Montbeliard in September and 1:10:54 in Nancy earlier this month. Her run in Paris was her third victory in a row, and it represented the 10th win in succession for Kenyan women at the 20 Kilometres de Paris.As soon as the gun went off, Kimaiyo separated herself from the rest of the field. The gap continued to grow over the next kilometres and no one could challenge her domination.She finally won with ease in 1:06:03, little more than a minute outside the course record set last year by Rose Chelimo, who didn&rsquo;t defend her title.Macharia finished second in 1:07:39 with Nancy Arusei coming through for third in 1:09:16.<h3>Ogari gains revenge</h3>Although he was not initially slated to compete, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Muhajir Hiredin returned to the French capital in a bid to defend his crown from last year.From the start, a large group distanced itself from the rest of the field. The pace was not particularly fast and it soon became clear that Evans Cheruiyot&rsquo;s course record of 57:19 from 2005 was safe.Ogari, who finished second last year, then pushed the pace several times and the lead pack broke up. With about five kilometres to go, only Hiredin was able to handle Ogari&rsquo;s pace. Getacher Tedla Jemaneh, who finished third over 16km two weeks ago at La Classique Paris-Versailles, then managed to return to the front, putting himself in contention for victory.But Ogari was the strongest of the trio and he sprinted hard to take his first victory. He crossed the finish line in 59:11, just one second ahead of Hiredin, the man who beat him last year, and two seconds ahead of Jemaneh.It may have been his first race of 2015, but 23-year-old Ogari is familiar with the course. Before finishing second last year in a PB of 58:29, he placed fifth two years ago in 58:51.It was just the third time in the past 10 editions of the race that the men&rsquo;s winning time was slower than 59 minutes.A record 25,362 runners crossed the finish line at Quai Branly at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Quentin Guillon for the IAAF<h3>Leading results </h3>Men 1 Stephen Ogari (KEN) 59:11 2 Muhajir Hiredin (ETH) 59:12 3 Getacher Tedla Jemaneh (ETH) 59:13Women 1 Nancy Chepngetich Kimaiyo (KEN) 1:06:03 2 Lucy Njeri Macharia (KEN) 1:07:39 3 Nancy Arusei (KEN) 1:09:16

Kenyans Stephen Ogari and Nancy Kimaiyo fulfilled their role as race favourites at the 37th edition of 20 kilometres de Paris, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (11).

Ogari and Kimaiyo triumph at Paris 20km

Three men who made the podium but missed out on victory at recent editions of the 20 Kilometres de Paris will return to the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on Sunday (11) with a view to improve on their past performances.Last year&rsquo;s winners, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Muhajr Haredin Sraj and Kenya&rsquo;s Rose Chelimo, will not defend their crowns. But their absence opens up the race.The Kenyan Ogari twins, Stephen and Charles, are both familiar with the course. Stephen was second last year in 58:29 while Charles finished in the same position one year prior in 58:08.Their compatriot Alfred Cherop also cannot be discounted. Last weekend he easily won the Hancy Half Marathon and has twice finished third at the 20 Kilometres de Paris, clocking 58:20 in 2012 and 58:24 in 2013.Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getachew Jemaneh Tedla showed good form when finishing third over 16km two weeks ago at La Classique Paris-Versailles and is expected to be in contention for victory on Sunday.Although he hasn&rsquo;t shown his best form in his last races &ndash; he finished a distant ninth behind Jemaneh and Cherop over 10km in Langueux in June &ndash; Ezechiel Nizigiymana is the only former winner in the field. The Burundian won in 2012 in 58:12.Kenyan athletes have won the women&rsquo;s race at the 20 Kilometres de Paris at the past nine editions, and that trend looks set to continue on Sunday.Steeplechase specialist Nancy Kimaiyo has moved up to the half marathon this autumn and has won both of her races over 13.1 miles, clocking 1:11:48 in Montbeliard in September and 1:10:54 in Nancy earlier this month.Alexandra Louison, one of the leading French contenders who finished sixth last year, has been forced to withdraw due to injury.The men&rsquo;s course record of 57:19 is held by Kenya&rsquo;s Evans Cheruiyot, which he set in 2009. The women&rsquo;s record was set last year by Chelimo when she clocked 1:05:01 to take her second win.The start will take place at Pont Iena, near the Eiffel Tower. The course loops through inner Paris, passing the Trocadero, Boulogne and Quais de Seine before the finish line at Quai Branly, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.Quentin Guillon for the IAAF

Three men who made the podium but missed out on victory at recent editions of the 20 Kilometres de Paris will return to the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on Sunday (11) with a view to improve on their past performances.

Cherop and Ogari twins looking for redemption over 20km in Paris

The following world records have recently been ratified...<h3>World records</h3>Women 15km: 46:14* Florence Jebet Kiplagat (KEN) Barcelona, ESP 15 Feb 15 Previous: 46:28 Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) Nijmegen, NED 15 Nov 0920km: 1:01:54* Florence Jebet Kiplagat (KEN) Barcelona, ESP 15 Feb 15 Previous: 1:01:56* Florence Jebet Kiplagat (KEN) Barcelona, ESP 16 Feb 14Half marathon: 1:05:09 Florence Jebet Kiplagat (KEN) Barcelona, ESP 15 Feb 15 Previous: 1:05:12 Florence Jebet Kiplagat (KEN) Barcelona, ESP 16 Feb 14*En route to half marathonIAAF

The following world records have recently been ratified...