Istanbul Half Marathon: Kenyan athletes claim victory

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Kenyan runners Ruth Chepngetich and Kibiwott Kandie clinched the 16th edition of the Istanbul Half Marathon, an annual road running event that hosted thousands of athletes this year.

Chepngetich, 26, clocked 21 km (13 miles) run in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 2 seconds to break the world record in the women's category.

"And the 26-year-old, in her first race of 2021, kept going all the way to the line to clock 64:01, 29 seconds inside Ababel Yeshaneh's February 2020 world record set in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE," the Olympic Channel said in a statement.

Ethiopian athlete Yalemzerf Yehualaw was second in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 40 seconds, while Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri came third in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 51 seconds.

Meanwhile, Kenyan athlete Kibiwott Kandie won the men's category in record 59 minutes and 35 seconds.

Geoffrey Kamworor trailed 0.3 seconds behind Kandie, and Roncer Kipkorir also from Kenya came third, 11 seconds behind the leader.

N Kolay Istanbul Half Marathon is among the top eight marathons in the world. It took place at the historical peninsula in Istanbul.

A total of 4,000 athletes ran 21 km (13 miles) distance on the streets of the Turkish metropolis.

The runners and participants entered the field with HES code, a system designed to minimize the virus risk in Turkey.

The start and the finish line was located in Yenikapi Event Area on the city’s European side. The total prize money was $33,000.