Year in review: Kenya dominates half marathon on the world stage

Kenya’s Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir earned a third world half marathon title at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23.

The 30-year-old employed her famed finishing speed to take gold in 1:07:25.

She was followed home by her compatriot Margaret Kipkemboi in 1:07:26, with Catherine Reline Amanang’ole completing a 1-2-3 for Kenya in 1:07:34.

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“I wanted to win three times and make history, and thank God I have made it,” said Jepchirchir After her victory.  “It was my birthday this week and I told my husband I would work extra hard to get the win.”

In terms of the fastest times recorded in 2023, six other Kenyan athletes topped the list, headed by Irine Kimais, who clocked 1:04:37 in Barcelona on 19 February, with second-placed Joyciline Jepkosgei, the former world record-holder in a mixed race and 2018 world silver medallist, also one place below her on the list in 1:04:46.

As well as winning world silver in Riga, Kipkemboi finished equal second on the 2023 list through her win in Valencia on 22 October, with the woman who followed her to the line in 1:04:53, Irine Cheptai, remaining fourth on the list.

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Behind Hellen Obiri (1:05:05) and Janeth Chepngetich (1:05:15), Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana is seventh on the list with her 1:05:30 win in Lisbon. Also in the top 10 is Eilish McColgan, who took 43 seconds off her own British half marathon record, set 14 months earlier, as she won in Berlin in 1:05:43. 

After Peres headed a Kenyan sweep of the women’s medals, Sabastian Sawe led home two of his Kenyan compatriots in the men’s race.

The 26-year-old Sawe, who had emerged as a force the previous year with a series of high profile wins over the distance, overtook his compatriot Daniel Ebenyo on the home straight to earn the title in 59:10, with Ebenyo taking silver in 59:14 and Samwel Mailu earning bronze in 59:19.

Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer Mekonnen, who had made a bold move for gold earlier, was fourth in 59:22, with Jimmy Gressier of France fifth in 59:46. 

It was just the second time in 25 world half marathon races that a nation had swept the men’s podium, the last occasion being in 1997.

Jacob Kiplimo, the world record-holder and world cross country champion who had to miss the World Athletics Championships and World Road Running Championships because of injury, made a notable return to the roads later in the season.

On 19 November, at Nijmegen, he equalled the world 15km best with 41:05, matching the mark set five years earlier by his Ugandan compatriot Joshua Cheptegei.

By World Athletics