A look back at the key moments of 2022 in road running

2022 review: road running

<p><strong><em>Women's world 5km record (women only)</em></strong><br /><em>14:29 Senbere Teferi (ETH) Herzogenaurach 12 September 2021</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Women's world 10km record (women only)</em></strong><br /><em>30:01 Agnes Tirop (KEN) Herzogenaurach 12 September 2021</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>World records of 30:01 by the late Agnes Tirop over 10km and 14:29 by Senbere Teferi over 5km set last year in Herzogenaurach have been ratified.</p>
<p>Tirop, who died in tragic circumstances just one month later, broke away in the final two kilometres of the race and went on to smash the women-only world record, taking 28 seconds off the mark that had been set by Morocco&rsquo;s Asmae Leghzaoui in New York on 8 June 2002.</p>
<p>Tirop was part of a five-woman lead pack during the early stages and passed through 4km in 12:07. A couple of minutes later, Tirop and fellow Kenyan Sheila 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.</p>
<p>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 world 10,000m bronze medallist Tirop started her long run for home with about six minutes to go.</p>
<p>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&rsquo;t ease back for the final kilometre, though, and covered it in another 2:54 to reach the finish line in 30:01.<br /><br /></p>
<p><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/717900478?h=9ec3523d8a" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p><br />&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy to have broken the world record,&rdquo; said Tirop. &ldquo;I felt the pace was good and Sheila assisted me a lot. The course was very good too.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Tirop went on to compete over 10km in Geneva in early October 2021. It was to be her last ever race; she was stabbed to death in her home just 10 days later.</p>
<p>Following Tirop&rsquo;s tragic death, the World Athletics Cross Country Tour event in Eldoret was named in her memory. A foundation against domestic violence has also been established in her honour.</p>
<p>Just moments after the 10km race in Herzogenaurach, 2015 world 5000m silver medallist Teferi ran away from her opponents after the first kilometre with an incredible solo effort, winning the 5km by 25 seconds in 14:29.</p>
<p>The Ethiopian ran with the pack for the first kilometre, covered just inside three minutes. Then, sensing that the pace wasn&rsquo;t quite fast enough to challenge the world record, set off on her own and covered the second kilometre in 2:49.</p>
<p>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, breaking the women-only world record of 14:44 set by Sifan Hassan in Monaco on 17 February 2019.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I'm so happy,&rdquo; said Teferi. &ldquo;After the Olympics, I knew I was ready to go after this world record.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>World Athletics<br /><br /></strong></p>

Agnes Tirop's 30:01 and Senbere Teferi's 14:29 are now official world records

Ratified: world 10km record by Tirop and world 5km record for Teferi

<p><strong><em><br />Women&rsquo;s world 5km road race record (mixed race)</em></strong><br /><em>14:19 Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) Barcelona 31 December 2021</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Men&rsquo;s world 5km road race record</em></strong><br /><em>12:49 Berihu Aregawi (ETH) Barcelona 31 December 2021</em></p>
<p><br />The world 5km records set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ejgayehu Taye and Berihu Aregawi last year have been ratified.</p>
<p>Ending their year at the Cursa dels Nassos 5km event in Barcelona on 31 December, Taye won in 14:19 to improve the women&rsquo;s mixed-race record by 24 seconds, while Aregawi ran 12:49 to take two seconds off the men&rsquo;s record.</p>
<p>With the women and men starting at the same time, Taye was able to use some of the men in the field as pacemakers. She opened up a clear gap on Sweden&rsquo;s Meraf Bahta in the early stages and went on to win in 14:19, smashing the world record of 14:43 which had been set by Kenya&rsquo;s Beatrice Chepkoech in Monaco on 14 February 2021.</p>
<p>Aregawi, meanwhile, had a pacemaker for company for the first kilometre or so, but was then out on his own. Crossing the finish line in 12:49, he improved the world record of 12:51 which had been set by Uganda&rsquo;s Joshua Cheptegei in Monaco on 16 February 2020.</p>
<p><strong>World Athletics</strong></p>

Taye's 14:19 and Aregawi's 12:49 are now officially in the record books

Ratified: world 5km records for Taye and Aregawi

<p>Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ejegayehu Taye and Berihu Aregawi broke the world 5km records* at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona on Friday (31), clocking 14:19 and 12:49 respectively.</p>
<p>Taye, 21, had set an Ethiopian 3000m record of 8:19.52 earlier this year, and was the second-fastest woman in the world over 5000m this season, but tonight in Barcelona she was contesting just the second international road race of her career.</p>
<p>Twenty-year-old Aregawi, meanwhile, had come within one second of Joshua Cheptegei&rsquo;s world record in Lille last month, so was keen to take another crack at the mark before the year was out to ensure he could end 2021 on a high.<br /><br /></p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61d0380fd77b4b9c34dd36e9.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /></p>
<p><br />With the women and men starting at the same time, Taye was able to use some of the men in the field as pacemakers. She opened up a clear gap on Sweden&rsquo;s Meraf Bahta in the early stages and went on to win in 14:19, taking 24 seconds off the world record for the 5km in a mixed race. Bahta was second in 15:04.</p>
<p>Aregawi had a pacemaker for company for the first kilometre or so, but after then was out on his own. The Diamond League 5000m champion stormed through the finish line in 12:49, taking two seconds off Cheptegei&rsquo;s world record. Peter Maru was a distant runner-up in 13:30.</p>
<p><em>*Subject to the usual ratification procedure</em></p>
<h3>Leading results</h3>
<p><strong>Women</strong><br />1 Ejegayehu Taye (ETH) 14:19<br />2 Meraf Bahta (SWE) 15:04<br />3 Carla Dominguez (ESP) 15:51<br />4 Meritxell Soler (ESP) 16:02<br />5 Naima Ait Alibou (ESP) 16:52<br /><br /><strong>Men</strong><br />1 Berihu Aregawi (ETH) 12:49<br />2 Peter Maru (KEN) 13:30<br />3 Mike Foppen (NED) 13:37<br />4 Mehdi Belhadj (FRA) 13:38<br />5 Santiago Catrofe (URU) 13:39</p>

Ethiopia’s Ejegayehu Taye and Berihu Aregawi broke the world 5km records at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona on Friday (31), clocking 14:19 and 12:49 respectively.

Taye and Aregawi break world 5km records in Barcelona

A look back at the key moments of 2021 in road running

2021 review: road running

<p>Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dawit Seyaum took four seconds off the world record* for 5km in a mixed race, winning at the Urban Trail Lille event on Saturday (6) with 14:39.</p>
<p>The 1500m specialist, who was contesting just the fourth road race of her career, had world-leading steeplechaser Norah Jeruto and African 5000m bronze medallist Meskerem Mamo for company through the early stages. The trio covered 2km in 5:51 and 3km in 8:46, putting them well inside the schedule required to break Beatrice Chepkoech&rsquo;s world record of 14:43.</p>
<p>The pace dropped slightly in the fourth kilometre as Mamo lost contact with Seyaum and Jeruto. Seyaum, however, picked up her cadence in the closing stages and pulled away from Jeruto to win in 14:39.</p>
<p>Jeruto finished second in 14:42, while Mamo held on for third in 14:54.</p>
<p>The performance comes just two months after Seyaum's compatriot, Senbere Teferi, set a women-only world record of 14:29 for the distance in Herzogenaurach.</p>
<p>In the men&rsquo;s race, Diamond League 5000m champion Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia came within one second of Joshua Cheptegei&rsquo;s world record, winning by more than half a minute in 12:52.</p>
<p>Hosea Kiplangat of Uganda was second in 13:25, finishing two seconds ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yasin Haji.</p>
<p>There was further Ethiopian success in the men&rsquo;s 10km as the relatively unheralded Chimdesa Debele Gudeta won in 27:14 from Kenya&rsquo;s Kenneth Kiprop (27:23). Steeplechase specialist Celliphine Chespol won the women&rsquo;s 10km in 30:19 from fellow Kenyan Daisy Cherotich (30:31).</p>
<h2>Leading results</h2>
<p><strong>WOMEN</strong></p>
<p><strong>5km</strong><br />1 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 14:39<br />2 Norah Jeruto (KEN) 14:42<br />3 Meskerem Mamo (ETH) 14:54<br />4 Loice Chemnung (KEN) 15:06<br />5 Fancy Cherono (KEN) 15:14<br />6 Joyce Chepkemoi Tele (KEN) 15:14</p>
<p><strong>10km</strong><br />1 Celliphine Chespol (KEN) 30:19<br />2 Daisy Cherotich (KEN) 30:31<br />3 Glorious Jepkurui (KEN) 30:48<br />4 Abersh Minsewo (ETH) 30:58<br />5 Purity Komen (KEN) 31:08<br />6 Jackline Rotich (KEN) 31:29</p>
<p><br /><strong>MEN</strong></p>
<p><strong>5km</strong><br />1 Berihu Aregawi (ETH) 12:52<br />2 Hosea Kiplangat (UGA) 13:25<br />3 Yasin Haji (ETH) 13:27<br />4 Emmanuel Kiprop (KEN) 13:35<br />5 Bastien Augusto (FRA) 13:38<br />6 Samuel Naibei Kiplimo (KEN) 13:40</p>
<p><strong>10km</strong><br />1 Chimdesa Debele Gudeta (ETH) 27:14<br />2 Kenneth Kiprop (KEN) 27:23<br />3 Adeledelew Mamo (ETH) 27:25<br />4 Jacob Kosgei (KEN) 27:38<br />5 Isaac Kibet (UGA) 27:41<br />6 Jamal Kiprono (KEN) 27:52</p>
<p><em>*Subject to the usual ratification procedure</em></p>

Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum clocks 14:39 at the Urban Trail Lille 5km

Seyaum breaks world 5km record in Lille

<p>Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge is to take on Paris 2024 mass race hopefuls later this month in a running challenge being held to mark 1000 days until the Olympics in the French capital.</p>
<p>In an Olympic Games first, a mass participation marathon is planned for the same day, and following the same route, as the Olympic marathon in 2024 and on 31 October a pursuit-style 5km race will be held on the Champs-Elysee in Paris, with some of those mass participation marathon places up for grabs.</p>
<p>The challenge is to outrun Kipchoge, Kenya&rsquo;s world marathon record-holder who also claimed the world 5000m title in 2003 in a winning time of 12:52.79. While there are not many athletes who can beat the marathon great, the 2000 runners in action on the Champs-Elysee will at least get a head start.<br /><br /></p>
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<p><br />With the field split into different groups based on ability, Kipchoge will cover a longer distance and look to catch up with the rest of the runners. Those who manage to hold him off will secure their entry for the Paris 2024 mass participation marathon.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I am delighted to be heading to Paris 1000 days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for a truly exceptional challenge,&rdquo; said Kipchoge.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Open to all, whatever their level, this unique race is a wonderful image of what running is about: it is accessible and open to everyone.</p>
<p>&ldquo;On one of the most beautiful avenues in the world, I challenge you to not let me catch you! I look forward to sharing this moment with you and inspiring you to run, give it your all and push your limits, before we see each other again in 2024.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Further information can be found on the <a href="https://www.paris2024.org/en/mass-participation-marathon-kipchoge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Paris 2024 website</strong></span></a>.</p>

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge is to take on Paris 2024 mass race hopefuls later this month in a running challenge being held to mark 1000 days until the Olympics in the French capital.

Runners to race Kipchoge for Paris 2024 mass marathon places

<p>Gudaf Tsegay, Beatrice Chepkoech and Kibiwott Kandie will go into the Olympic season with recent world records to their names, after their respective marks over 1500m, 5km and the half-marathon were ratified this week.</p>
<p>Tsegay achieved her 1500m feat at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais on 9 February, clocking 3:53.09 to take more than two seconds off the previous world indoor record of 3:55.17 set by her Ethiopian compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in Karlsruhe on 1 February 2014.</p>
<p>World bronze medallist Tsegay followed the swift early tempo at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France, as the pacemaker led the field through 400m (58.97) and exited just before 800m, which Tsegay passed in 2:05.94.</p>
<p>With three laps to go, Tsegay had a four-second lead but she showed no signs of slowing down, passing through 1000m in 2:37.36. The clock read 2:52.9 with two laps to go and Tsegay maintained her pace with another lap just outside 30 seconds, digging in for the final circuit.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I have been training really hard and I set myself a target to break the world indoor record,&rdquo; said Tsegay. &ldquo;I had this record in my mind for a long time &ndash; maybe six or seven years.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Chepkoech&rsquo;s success on the road</h3>
<p>For Kenya&rsquo;s Chepkoech, world 5km record success came at the Monaco Run on 14 February. Racing on Valentine&rsquo;s Day, the world 3000m steeplechase champion further demonstrated her passion for the sport by running 14:43 for 5km on the roads, improving on the previous women&rsquo;s record in a mixed gender race of 14:48 set by her compatriot Caroline Kipkirui on 8 September 2018.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6028f4510d6c397fd0421cdc.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /><br /><em>Beatrice Chepkoech breaks the world 5km record in Monaco&nbsp;(&copy;&nbsp;Global Sports Communication)</em></p>
<p><br />It was also one second faster than Sifan Hassan's 14:44 record for a women-only race, which had previously been the fastest time ever produced over the distance since the 5km was introduced as a world record event in November 2017.</p>
<p>"I'm so happy because I didn't expect it," said Chepkoech, who broke the world 3000m steeplechase record with 8:44.32 also in Monaco in 2018. "It was cold and there was a lot of wind, but I tried to follow my pacemaker and everything was perfect."</p>
<h3>Kandie set&nbsp;a new standard</h3>
<p>Two months earlier, Kandie had also made road running history by clocking 57:32 at the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP Half Marathon.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/5fcdfa3e056bd8378930a182.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="590" /><br /><em>Kibiwott Kandie breaks the world record at the Valencia Half Marathon (&copy; Getty Images)</em></p>
<p><br />Running in near-ideal conditions on December 6, Kenya&rsquo;s Kandie gained his&nbsp;&ldquo;revenge&rdquo; after missing out on World Athletics Half Marathon Championships gold in Gdynia seven weeks before.</p>
<p>There he was beaten by Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo but in Valencia Kandie turned the tables in superb style, also shaving 29 seconds from the previous world half-marathon record of 58:01 which had been set by his compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in Copenhagen on 15 September 2019.</p>
<p>In a race of incredible depth, the next three finishers &ndash; Kiplimo (57:37), Rhonex Kipruto (57:49) and Alexander Mutiso (57:59) &ndash; also dipped under the previous record.</p>
<p>Splits of 8:05 at 3km and 13:37 at 5km &ndash; 11 seconds inside world record pace &ndash; had suggested that a historic run was in the making. The 10km point was reached in 27:25, while 15km was passed in 41:10. The closing kilometre was a thriller as Kiplimo took the lead with around 900 metres remaining, but Kandie responded and took control some 500 metres from the finish, going on to add his name to the record book.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it, I have beaten Kamworor&rsquo;s world record by half a minute,&rdquo; said Kandie. &ldquo;Today is a great day for me and also for Kenya.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>World Athletics</strong></p>

Gudaf Tsegay, Beatrice Chepkoech and Kibiwott Kandie will go into the Olympic season with recent world records to their names, after their respective marks over 1500m, 5km and the half-marathon were ratified this week.

Ratified: World records for Tsegay, Chepkoech and Kandie

<p>Beatrice Chepkoech broke the world 5km record at the Monaco Run on Sunday (14), clocking 14:43*.</p>
<p>The performance by the 29-year-old Kenyan bettered the previous record in a mixed gender race of 14:48 set by Caroline Kipkirui in 2018, and is also one second faster than Sifan Hassan's 14:44 record for a women's-only race, until this morning the fastest time ever produced over the distance since the 5km was introduced as a world record event in November 2017.</p>
<p>Chepkoech battled strong winds during the early stages of the race along the Monaco coastline but fought on over the latter stages to claim a second world record, this one joining her 8:44.32 record in the 3000m steeplechase set in 2018, also in Monaco.</p>
<p>"I'm so happy because I didn't expect it," said Chepkoech, the 2019 world champion in the steeplechase. "It was cold and there was a lot of wind, but I tried to follow my pace maker and everything was perfect."</p>
<p>She may not have had the world record in mind initially, but Chepkoech did set her sights on victory from the outset.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Despite the winds, Chepkoech had already forged a six-second lead just 500 metres into the race, before reaching the first kilometre in 2:57, 15 seconds clear of Meraf Bahta, her nearest competitor. Splits of 2:59 for the second kilometre and 3:01 for the third followed before she and pacesetter Luuk Maas decided to up the tempo as they approached the Larvotto Tunnel portion of the course, at the northeastern edge of the Principality's main port, a second time.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Since the winds had died down, she said, "my pacemaker told me &lsquo;we can do it, let&rsquo;s push it&rsquo;."</p>
<p>She did.</p>
<p>After a 2:57 fourth kilometre, Chepkoech ended her morning's work with a 2:47 closing kilometre to take ownership of the world record.</p>
<p>Chepkoech had already illustrated her strong early 2021 form with an 8:34.21 career best over 3000m indoors in Lievin on 9 February. She'll race next at the Copernicus Cup leg of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting series in Torun, Poland, on 17 February before returning home to resume her training.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eX2rF7ldugE?feature=youtu" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Joshua Cheptegei, who set the men's world record of 12:51 at this race last year, successfully defended his title, clocking 13:13.</p>
<p>The 24-year-old Ugandan ran at or near the front from the gun but it was clear early on that the conditions would not be conducive for a serious assault on his year-old record.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60290b261e3bf102aa403a1b.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /></p>
<p>"The wind was incredibly difficult," said Cheptegei, who covered the opening kilometre in 2:44, 13 seconds behind the pace that propelled him to the world record last year. Kilometre splits of 2:41, 2:37 and 2:38 followed before he closed with a 2:32, the fastest of the race.</p>
<p>Kenyans Bethwell Birgen and Davis Kiplangat clocked 13:17 and 13:19 to round out the top three with Morhad Amdouni of France fourth in 13:19, one second outside of the European record set by compatriot Jimmy Gressier at this race last year.</p>
<p><em>*pending the usual ratification procedures</em></p>
<p><strong>Bob Ramsak for World Athletics</strong></p>

Beatrice Chepkoech broke the world 5km record at the Monaco Run on Sunday (14), clocking 14:43*.

14:43! Chepkoech breaks world 5km record in Monaco

<p><br />Kenya&rsquo;s Margaret Kipkemboi and Uganda&rsquo;s Oscar Chelimo won the 46th edition of the Boclassic Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy, a <strong>World Athletics Bronze Label</strong> race on Thursday (31).</p>
<p>The special edition of the classic New Year&rsquo;s Eve race was not held over the usual picturesque course through the centre of this northern Italian town, but instead over a 975.18m loop course in a safe driving centre park in Vadena, a city about 15 kilometres to the south, due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.</p>
<p>Kipkemboi, the world 5000m silver medallist, claimed the Boclassic title for the second consecutive year but this time over 10km, holding off half marathon specialist Dorcas Jepchirchir Tuitoek by one second in 30:43 in a close sprint finish. World-class 3000m steeplechase specialist Norah Tanui completed the Kenyan sweep, finishing third in 30:46.</p>
<p>A five-women group formed by Gloria Kite, Norah Tanui, Kipkemboi, Tuitoek and Janet Kisa ran the first two loops in 6:44, inside the pace to break the women-only 10km world record of 30:29 set by Asmae Leghzaoui in New York in 2002.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Kipkemboi, Tanui and Tuitoek pulled away from Kite and went through the fourth lap in 12:41. The pace then slowed, as the competition turned into a tactical race between the three Kenyans, who clocked 18:42 through six laps, 21:44 through seven, 24:47 through eight and 27:50 through nine.</p>
<p>Kipkemboi then pulled away in the waning stages to successfully defend her title. One year ago, she improved the traditional 5km course record to 15:30.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I am happy with my second consecutive win in Bolzano,&rdquo; Kipkemboi said. &ldquo;I tried my best to break the world record but it was very cold.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The men&rsquo;s race was held over 5km to mount an assault on Frenchman Jimmy Gressier&rsquo;s 13:18 European record set in Monaco in February.<br /><br /></p>
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Oscar Chelimo takes the 2020 Boclassic</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>An eight-men group which included two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris from Ethiopia, steeplechaser Albert Chemutai from Uganda, world U20 cross country silver medallist Tadese Worku, European 10,000m bronze medallist Yeman Crippa from Italy, Belgian Robin Hendrix and Chelimo went through two laps in 5:34 and the third lap in 8:10. The leaders then upped the pace to go through four laps in 10:50 before Chelimo broke away in the final metres to cross the finish line in 13:17.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I ran a wonderful race,&rdquo; the winner said. &ldquo;It was very cold, but I was well prepared, as I am used to training at 5 in the morning when it&rsquo;s cold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Hendrix, an unheralded 25-year-old, was second in 13:19 to finish just shy of Gressier&rsquo;s European record.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I am happy with the race as I ran faster than my PB on the track,&rdquo; Hendrix said.</p>
<p>Moroccan Abdelati Iguider finished third in 13:20 sharing the same time as Crippa, who equalled Michele Gamba&rsquo;s Italian record. The Italian star crowned a strong season, in which he broke the national 5000m record with 13:02.26 in Ostrava and the national 3000m record with 7:38.27 in Rome. Crippa, who finished eighth in the World Championships 10,000m last year with 27:10.76, became the first runner to hold the national 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m since Franco Fava in 1977.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was totally different from the past edition in the centre of Bolzano, but I thank organisers for putting together a great race,&rdquo; Crippa said. &ldquo;I tried my best until the end to break the European record. I am happy that 2020 is over and I hope 2021 will be a better year.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics</strong></p>
<p><strong>LEADING RESULTS</strong></p>
<p><strong>Men (5km)</strong> <br />1 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 13:17 <br />2 Robin Hendrix (BEL) 13:19 <br />3 Abdelati Iguider (MAR) 13:20 <br />4 Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITA) 13:20 <br />5 Tadese Worku (ETH) 13:23 <br />6 Muktar Edris (ETH) 13:24 <br />7 Haile Telahun Bekele (ETH) 13:26 <br />8 Yassin Bouih (ITA) 13:59 <br /><br /><strong>Women (10 km):</strong> <br />1 Margaret Kipkemboi Chelimo (KEN) 30:43 <br />2 Dorcas Jepchirchir Tuitoek (KEN) 30:44 <br />3 Norah Jeruto Tanui (KEN) 30:47 <br />4 Gloria Kite (KEN) 32:27 <br />5 Janet Kita (KEN) 33:04 <br />6 Sofia Yaremchuk (UKR) 33:12 <br />7 Giovanna Epis (ITA) 34:13 <br />8 Rebecca Lonedo (ITA) 34:18<br /><br /></p>
<h3>Simiu and Yalemzerf confirm supremacy in Madrid</h3>
<p>Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Simiu and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yalemzerf Yehualaw signed a successful farewell to 2020, taking overwhelming victories at the 56th San Silvestre Vallecana, a <strong>World Athletics Gold Label</strong> road race, in Madrid on Wednesday (31).</p>
<p>While 25-year-old Simiu got the better of Italy&rsquo;s late addition to the field Eyob Faniel in 27:41, 21-year-old Yehualaw beat Kenya&rsquo;s world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich by a massive 24 seconds, winning in a career best of 31:17.</p>
<p>On a windy and cold night with the thermometer reaching barely 9C, the men&rsquo;s race was headed in the early stages by Spanish marathon record-holder Ayad Lamdassem; setting a 2:48 rhythm, no more than six men managed to live with his pace: eventual winner Simiu, Faniel, Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, USA&rsquo;s Paul Chelimo, Spain&rsquo;s Ouassim Oumaiz and Mike Foppen of the Netherlands.</p>
<p>The leading group covered the opening 2.5km lap in 6:53, then just before the halfway point (13:58) Simiu increased the pace and opened a sizeable lead with incredible ease over the rest of group. The long-legged Kenyan pushed again on the third lap with a 6:46 split and built a 15-second margin on Faniel, himself two seconds ahead of Chelimo and Foppen.<br /><br /></p>
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Daniel Simiu wins in Madrid</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Despite the annoying win,d Simiu kept his speed over the closing lap and romped home in 27:41 while Faniel, a 2:07:19 marathon runner, improved his PB by two seconds with 28:08. The fight for the third place on the podium was thrilling as Foppen pushed Olympic silver medallist Chelimo to the line. Chelimo eventually took third in 28:13 to Foppen&rsquo;s 28:14, a massive lifetime best for him.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was my first ever race in Spain,&rdquo; said Simiu. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m satisfied, I would have liked to run faster but weather conditions were not the best; my goal is to make the Kenyan team for the Tokyo Olympics in the 10,000m.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Held as a separate race, the women&rsquo;s contest kicked off with a 3:14 opening kilometre, led by Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich with only Yehualaw and Sweden&rsquo;s Sarah Lahti for company. While the latter began to lose ground after the third kilometre, reached in 9:37, the Ethiopian ace moved to the front with the clock reading 15:00. Yehualaw began to open up a sizeable lead, going through half way in 15:25, and Chepngetich simply could not live with the pace.</p>
<p>With one lap left, the diminutive Ethiopian had built a 33-second advantage on her Kenyan rival, herself well clear of Spain&rsquo;s Carolina Robles and French duo Alessia Zarbo and Manon Trapp, only 19 and 20 years of age respectively.</p>
<p>Yehualaw maintained her advantage on the final lap and crossed the finish line in 31:17 to improve on her previous PB of 31:55, while Chepngetich had to settle for the runner-up spot for the second year in a row, timed at 31:50. In the battle for third place, Zarbo made up lots of ground in the closing stages to get the better of Robles and Trapp in a PB of 33:00.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very grateful for having been invited to compete at such an important race and happy for keeping the Ethiopian dominance,&rdquo; said Yehualaw. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still very young but I&rsquo;ll be aiming for a spot for the Olympics in the 10,000m.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics</strong></p>
<p><strong>LEADING RESULTS<br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>Men</strong><br /> 1 Daniel Simiyu (KEN) 27:41<br /> 2 Eyob Faniel (ITA) 28:08<br /> 3 Paul Chelimo (USA) 28:13<br /> 4 Mike Foppen (NED) 28:14<br /> 5 Ouassim Oumaiz (ESP) 28:35</p>
<p><strong>Women</strong><br /> 1 Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 31:17<br /> 2 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 31:50<br /> 3 Alessia Zarbo (FRA) 33:00<br /> 4 Carolina Robles (ESP) 33:07<br /> 5 Manon Trapp (FRA) 33:10<br /><br /></p>
<h3>Dibaba and Obiri claim victories in Barcelona</h3>
<p>Genzebe Dibaba and Hellen Obiri brought an end to their 2020 seasons with impressive performances at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona on Thursday (31), producing strong victories over 5km and 10km, respectively.</p>
<p>The event was billed as an assault on the world 5km record of 14:44 set by Sifan Hassan last year in Monaco and the 29:43 10km mark set by Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017. Those attacks never quite materialised, but both of the main protagonists ran aggressively, giving chase early on.</p>
<p>Dibaba was ahead of record pace through the first two kilometres, clocking 5:52, but a 3:06 third kilometre, to reach three kilometres in 8:58, effectively put the record out of reach. She forged on to cross the line in 15:00 to close out the year as the world leader.</p>
<p>In the 10km, Obiri's ambitions came to an abrupt end just two minutes into the race when she was tripped up by a runner trying to pass her on a turn. She hit the ground hard but soon found herself running alone after her pacesetter Carlos Castillejo dropped out, injured, just a few minutes later. She remained a solitary figure for the rest of the race, churning out the remaining kilometres alone en route to a 30:53 finish, the fastest of her career.</p>
<p>On the men's side, Jimmy Gressier of France held off Santiago Catrofe over the final metres to win the 5km by a second in 13:39. Frenchman Morhad Amdouni, the European 10,000m champion, won the 10km in 27:42 over Carlos Mayo Nieto, who clocked 28:06. Gressier pulled off a strong showing, doubling back from his 5km victory to finish third in the 10km, clocking 28:13.</p>
<p><strong>Bob Ramsak for World Athletics</strong></p>

Kenya’s Margaret Kipkemboi and Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo won the 46th edition of the Boclassic Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy, a World Athletics Bronze Label race on Thursday (31).

New Year's road round-up: Kipkemboi and Chelimo win in Bolzano, Dibaba and Obiri victorious in Barcelona

When Joshua Cheptegei made history to wipe 1.99 seconds from Kenenisa Bekele’s world 5000m record in Monaco in August, it generated an outpouring of ecstasy in a mild-mannered Dutchman situated some 9000 kilometres away in Uganda.

Coach Ruiter on star pupil Cheptegei: ‘He will be the new standard’

<p><br />Double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen took nine seconds off the Norwegian 5km road record on Wednesday (20), clocking 13:28 in a low-key race in Stavanger.</p>
<p>Running in a small field of just five runners, one of whom was his older brother and 2012 European 1500m champion Henrik, Ingebrigtsen bided his time during the early stages. Compatriots Per Svela and Narve Gilje Nordas, training partners of the Ingebrigtsen brothers, as well as Zerei Kbrom Mezngi took it in turns to lead as the quintet covered the first of two laps &ndash; predominantly comprising cycle paths and pavements &ndash; in 7:00.</p>
<p>The younger of the Ingebrigtsen brothers then hit the front and gradually increased the pace, going from 2:50 kilometres to 2:40. Half way through the second lap, with 3km reached in about 8:25,only Henrik was able to stick with the 19-year-old. But with about one minute of running left, Ingebrigtsen turned the screw again and left his older brother in his wake.</p>
<p>Ingebrigtsen sprinted towards the line and crossed it in 13:28, four seconds ahead of Henrik. The brother both finished inside the previous Norwegian 5km record of 13:37, set by Sondre Nordstad Moen in Monaco last year.</p>
<p>Svela was third in 13:40 with Mezngi (13:44) and Nordas (13:45) close behind. Competing in a separate heat, Vienna S&oslash;yland Dahle was the top woman, clocking 16:14.</p>
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CAbELhHhSPs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Felt good to finally race again! 😅🔥🙌🏽 First race of the season... maybe track next, who knows? 🤓 #SocialDistancing #NR #5kmRoadRace #1328</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" href="https://www.instagram.com/jakobing/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Jakob Ingebrigtsen</a> (@jakobing) on <time style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" datetime="2020-05-20T20:21:29+00:00">May 20, 2020 at 1:21pm PDT</time></p>
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<p>&ldquo;It was fun to finally put a race number on my chest again,&rdquo; said Ingebrigtsen. &ldquo;But I had to wake my body up.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Ingebrigtsen now moves to fifth on the European all-time list behind Jimmy Gressier (13:18), Alistair Cragg (IRL), Gunther Weidlinger (13:25) and Nick Goolab (13:27).</p>
<p>Rhonex Kipruto holds the ratified world record at 13:18, but Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei clocked 12:51 in February, which is pending ratification.</p>
<p><strong>Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics</strong></p>

Double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen took nine seconds off the Norwegian 5km road record on Wednesday (20), clocking 13:28 in a low-key race in Stavanger.