Ngetich rules Valencia again with victory in women’s half marathon

NAIROBI, Kenya, October 27 – Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich continued her beautiful ‘love affair’ with the city of Valencia when she won the women’s half marathon on Sunday.

The world 10km record holder timed 1:03:04 to clinch top honour as Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay (1:03:21) and World Road Running 5km silver medalist Lillian Kasait (1:03:32) finished second and third respectively.

It was a dream return to the Spanish city for Ngetich who smashed the world record for the women’s 10km when she competed at the Valencia Ibercaja race in January this year.

She clocked 28:46 to become the first female athlete to run the distance under 29 minutes – smashing the previous record by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw by 28 seconds.

It came only three months after she set a women-only world record of 29:24 in the women’s 10km at the Trunsylvania in Romania.

Ngetich’s last race was a first-place finish at the Adizero Road to Records 10km race in Herzogenaurach, Germany where she clocked 30:03.

She also clinched the senior women’s title at the national cross country championships at the Kenya Prisons Training College in March, timing 31:51.

Mateiko shines in Kejelcha limelight

Meanwhile, Daniel Mateiko came second in the men’s race on a day in which Ethiopia’s Yomilf Kejelcha grabbed all the headlines with his world record.

Kejelcha clocked 57:30 – one second less than the previous record by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo – as Mateiko followed in a time of 58:17.

Another Kenyan, Isaiah Lasoi timed 58:21 to finish third.

It was Mateiko’s third podium finish in the race after finishing third on two previous occasions.

In 2021, the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon champion clocked 58:26 before dropping to 58:40 the following year.

Sunday’s race was also Mateiko’s first since he finished 11th in the men’s 10,000m at the Paris Olympics in August – in what was his debut at the quadrennial games.

Leave a comment