Addis Ababa, March 17, 2024 (FBC) – World indoor mile record-holder Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stormed to a 26:37 10km win in the northern Spanish town of Laredo on Saturday (16).
With that performance at the World Athletics Label event, the Ethiopian 26-year-old achieved the third-fastest men’s 10km of all time. Only Rhonex Kipruto with his world record of 26:24 set in Valencia four years ago and Berihu Aregawi with his 26:33 run in Laredo last year have gone faster.
Racing under ideal weather conditions on a 15ºC windless afternoon, Kejelcha was perfectly paced by his fellow Ethiopian Addisu Yihune, himself the reigning world U20 5000m champion. They went through the opening kilometres at a steady 2:38 pace, the tempo needed to attack the world best.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei travelled a few metres behind in the company of his own pacemaker, his compatriot Naman Kipyeko, but the world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder began to lose ground some six minutes into the race. By the third kilometre, Kejelcha became a virtual victor as he had built a seven-second gap on the Ugandan, with 7:54 and 8:01 their respective times at that point.
Despite being well on schedule to challenge the world record, Kejelcha overtook Yihune before reaching the fourth kilometre and from then on it was a solo run by the two-time world indoor 3000m champion, who went through halfway in a promising 13:10. Cheptegei ran nine seconds in arrears in the company of Yihune.
Over the second half, Kejelcha maintained a frantic rhythm in the 2:38/2:40 per kilometre range to increase his advantage on Cheptegei.
Over the closing two kilometres, Kejelcha could not maintain the pace on his own and despite his huge effort he romped home 13 seconds shy of the coveted mark and four seconds off the Ethiopian record. As for Cheptegei, the 27-year-old finished in 26:53, his third-quickest time and 15 seconds slower than the then world record of 26:38 he set in Valencia in December 2019.
Surprisingly, the 20-year-old pacemaker Yihune completed the race in a massive lifetime best of 27:28.
“I came to Laredo to break the world record but it was not possible,” said Kejelcha. “I felt some discomfort in my hip around the eighth kilometre and could not maintain my speed.”
As for Cheptegei, the Olympic 5000m champion confirmed his main goal was to get the Olympic 10,000m standard of 27:00 and he expressed his happiness at having reached that target two weeks before he competes at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade.
Whereas, Tsigie Gebreselama set a US all-comers’ record to win the women’s 10,000m at The TEN, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in San Juan Capistrano, California, on Saturday (16).
Hitting the Olympic standards for Paris – 27:00.00 for men and 30:40.00 for women – was the aim for many athletes in San Juan Capistrano. A total of eight athletes managed it in the men’s race and four achieved it in the women’s.
Leading the way in that women’s race was Ethiopia’s world cross country silver medallist Gebreselama, who improved her PB to 29:48.34 to move to ninth on the world all-time list.
The 23-year-old won the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in a PB of 1:05:14 three weeks ago and returned to the track to dip under 30 minutes for 10,000m for the first time, also becoming the first woman to break that time barrier on US soil.
Gebreselama, the fourth-place finisher in the World Road Running Championships half marathon in October, had been the only athlete to go with USA’s Alicia Monson from the start but when Monson struggled to maintain the pace, Gebreselama took over at the front and Monson later dropped out.
Meanwhile, Jemal Yimer prevailed after a sprint finish in the men’s race, while Fikrte Wereta claimed a clear women’s race win to secure an Ethiopian double at the Seoul Marathon on Sunday (17).
It was a first World Athletics Platinum Label road race win for both athletes, two-time world half marathon fourth-place finisher Yimer continuing his marathon journey with an almost three-minute PB of 2:06:08 and Wereta also running a lifetime best of 2:21:32.
The men’s race saw a big group remain together until after 30km, when Yimer formed part of a breakaway group of seven. The 27-year-old had been happy to sit back in the pack up to that point, passing 10km in 29:43 and 20km in 59:54.
The pace remained consistent as he reached 25km in 1:14:37 and 12 athletes were still running together at the 30km mark, hit by the leaders in 1:29:35.
Yimer’s compatriot Guye Adola, the 2021 Berlin Marathon champion, had looked in control to that stage, as he and Kenya’s Mike Kiptum Boit continued to switch the lead. But Adola couldn’t maintain the pace and he was among the athletes to drop back over the next couple of kilometres.
A group of seven forged ahead and six athletes remained together as 35km was reached in 1:44:27.
Yimer still had four others for company as he hit 40km in 1:59:19 alongside his compatriot Balew Yihunie Derseh plus Boit and his Kenyan compatriots Edwin Kiptoo and Rhonzas Lokitam Kilimo.
But after doing much of the leading, Boit could only watch as Kilimo, Kiptoo and Yimer strode ahead.
Timing his kick to perfection, Yimer waited until the final corner to make his move. Glancing over his shoulder, he left Kilimo and Kiptoo behind and punched the air as he crossed the finish line.
He won in 2:06:08, with Kilimo a second behind him and Kiptoo a further second back.
Boit held on for fourth place in 2:06:20, while Derseh was fifth in 2:06:22.
In the women’s race, a nine-strong group running alongside male runners was on sub-2:20 pace for the opening kilometres but the tempo eased as the leaders reached 10km in 33:28, led by Kenya’s Celestine Chepchirchir.
Bahrain’s Desi Jisa Mokonin, looking to regain a title that she won in 2019, also took turns at the front and led as 15km was reached in 50:25 and 20km was passed in 1:07:29.
The main contenders remained together as an eight-strong group hit 30km in 1:41:05 and like in the men’s race, it was at around this stage that a significant move was made.
Jisa and Wereta were joined by Kenya’s Visiline Jepkesho and Ethiopia’s Betelihem Afenigus Yemer in a breakaway group and Wereta looked comfortable as she took her place at the front, with her challengers in single file behind her.
Wereta, Jisa and Yemer passed the 35km mark together in 1:57:42, with Jepkesho 11 seconds back at that point, and then Wereta attacked. She had built a lead of 23 seconds by 40km, passed in 2:13:54, as she was chased by Jisa (2:14:17), Yemer (2:14:43) and Jepkesho (2:15:01).
Wereta continued to stretch her lead and had an advantage of 47 seconds by the finish, which she crossed in 2:21:32.
Jisa secured the runner up spot in 2:22:19, while Jepkesho passed Yemer in the closing stages to claim third place – 2:22:52 to 2:23:20. Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese was fifth in 2:23:43.
Furthermore, Ethiopia’s Dinkalem Ayele won the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, on Sunday (17).
Ayele held off Kenya’s Dominic Kiptarus to win the men’s race, 1:00:36 to 1:00:40.