Kenyans shine in Istanbul Half Marathon

Kenyan long-distance runners had yet another fruitful Sunday out after Purity Komen and Daniel Simiu cruised to victory in the 2023 Istanbul Half Marathon.

Komen, not only bagged gold but also clocked a personal best of1:06:30, defeating 2019 world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich who won silver after coming in 1:07:18.

It was a clean sweep for Kenya as Evaline Chirchir came in in third after one hour, seven minutes and thirty-one seconds.

Simiu, on the other hand, cut the tape while under pressure from Hicham Amghar of Morocco.

The Commonwealth 10,000m silver medalist clocked 59:52 to bag top honours while Amghar crossed the line after 59:58 minutes.

Omanyala dips below 10 seconds to win Botswana Golden Grand Prix in world lead time

The two were the only male athletes to have clocked the sub-60 minutes in the race.

Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu secured third place with a time of 1:00:03, while Kenyan runners Charles Kipkurui Langat and Vincent Kipkemoi rounded out the top five with times of 1:00:07 and 1:00:09, respectively.

Women’s Half Marathon results

1. Purity Temutai Komen (Kenya) – 1:06:30

2. Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) – 1:07:18

3. Evaline Chirchir (Kenya) – 1:07:31

4. Bosena Mulatie (Ethiopia) – 1:07:43

5. Tigist Gezahagn (Ethiopia) – 1:08:49

Men’s Half Marathon results

1. Daniel Simiu Ebenyo (Kenya) – 59:52:00

2. Hicham Amghar (Morocco) – 59:58:00

3. Haftu Teklu (Ethiopia) – 1:00:03

4. Charles Kipkurui Langat (Kenya) – 1:00:07

5. Vincent Kipkemoi (Kenya) – 1:00:09