Rhonex Kipruto breaks the world 10km record in Valencia (© Organisers)
Rhonex Kipruto’s world records over 5km (13:18) and 10km (26:24), as well as Sasha Zhoya’s world indoor U20 60m hurdles record of 7.34 have been ratified.
Kipruto’s world record marks came when winning at the 10k Valencia Ibercaja on 12 January. The world 10,000m bronze medallist from Kenya dominated the race, passing through 3km in 7:59 before dropping the last of his challengers.
The 20-year-old reached the half-way point in 13:18, four seconds inside the ratified world record of 13:22 set by Kenya’s Robert Keter in Lille on 9 November 2019. Despite running on his own for the second half, Kipruto increased his pace and covered the final five kilometres in 13:06.
His winning mark of 26:24 took 14 seconds off the previous world 10km record of 26:38 set by Joshua Cheptegei in the same Spanish city on 1 December 2019.
“I’m over the moon,” said Kipruto, who is coached by Colm O’Connell. “When I clocked 26:46 in Prague in 2018, I set myself the target of breaking the world 10km record and today my dream came true.”
In Monaco on 16 February 2020, one month after Kipruto’s run in Valencia, Cheptegei clocked 12:51 over 5km, a mark that is pending ratification.
Sasha Zhoya’s run in the 60m hurdles (99cm height) on 22 February 2020 was the highlight of the French U20 Championships in Miramas.
The 17-year-old had threatened the mark in the earlier rounds, clocking 7.53 in the heats and 7.43 in the semifinals, just 0.03 shy of the record set by USA’s Trey Cunningham in New York City on 12 March 2017.
But just 70 minutes later, Zhoya was back out on track and went even faster, winning in 7.34.
“This is the performance I wanted,” said Zhoya. “I was hoping to dip below 7.40, so I can’t be happier. The Miramas audience pushed me a lot; it is thanks to them that I beat the world record.”
Zhoya, a talented all-rounder, also holds the world U18 bests for the 110m hurdles at 12.87 and in the pole vault with 5.56m. Last year he also scored 7271 in the decathlon and clocked a 100m PB of 10.41, both performances ranking him among the top 10 on the 2019 U18 lists.
