VALENCIA: Kenyan Abraham Kiptum set a world record of 58 minutes and 18 seconds in the men’s race at the Valencia Half Marathon in Spain on Sunday.
Kiptum’s time was five seconds better than the previous mark set by Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese in Lisbon in 2010.
Ethiopian Jemal Yimer finished second, two seconds behind Kiptum with his countryman Abadi Hadi in third.
Kiptum broke away from the pack at the 10-kilometre mark, going 51 seconds under his previous best to hold off the Ethiopian duo.
Kenyan athletes now hold the world records for the men’s and women’s half-marathon, after Joyciline Jepkosgei set the women’s mark at the same venue last year.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge broke the world marathon record last month in Berlin with a time of two hours, one minute, and 39 seconds – a minute and 18 seconds faster than the previous best.