17th Istanbul half marathon: Kenyan athletes claim victory

By Suha Gur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Kenyan runners Rodgers Kwemoi and Hellen Obiri on Sunday won the 17th Istanbul Half Marathon, an annual road run that this year featured hundreds racing through the Turkish metropolis.

Rodgers Kwemoi of Kenya finished first in the men's half marathon with a time of 59 minutes and 15 seconds, setting a track record, while his countryman Daniel Mateiko finished second with a time of 1 hour and 5 seconds, followed by Kenyan Emmanuel Bor at third with a time of 1 hour and 20 seconds.

Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri also took first place in the women's category with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 48 seconds.

Ethiopia's Tsehay Gemechu was second with a time of 1 hour, 5 minutes and 52 seconds, followed by Kenya's Vicoty Chepngeno with 1 hour, 6 minutes and 58 seconds.

Among Turkish athletes, Ramazan Ozdemir completed the race with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 2 seconds in the men’s categories, and Yasemin Can ran the race in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 57 seconds in the women’s category.

Another Turkish athlete, Alihan Yilgin, won the 10 km (6.21 miles) race.

An award ceremony was held near the starting area for the winning runners.

The event, with more than 650 foreign athletes from 65 countries competing, had two categories: 21 kilometers (13 miles) and 10 kilometers, while skating enthusiasts also vied in races.

The first-place winners were awarded $7,500, second-place finishers $5,000, and third-place finishers $4,000.

* Writing by Merve Berker