UDINE, Italy, Oct 14 - Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands set a world-best time when she successfully defended her half-marathon title at the world road running championships on Sunday.
Kiplagat clocked one hour six minutes 25 seconds, beating the previous world best of 1:06:44 set by South African Elana Meyer eight years ago in Tokyo.
Everything just went perfect today,'' Kiplagat told reporters. With four kilometres left I thought there was a possibility for the record.’’
The Kenyan-born Kiplagat, who set a world best for 20 kms along the way, ran solo for the final five kms and beat Kenya’s Mary Keitany by 23 seconds.
Another Kenyan, Pamela Chepchumba, was third.
ROME, Oct 14, 2007 - Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadesse retained his half marathon title at the World Road-running Championships in Udine on Sunday, winning in a time of 58min 59sec.
Tadesse edged out Kenyan pair Patrick Makau Musyoki (59:02) and Evans Cheruyot (59:05) to snatch the title.
The Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist from Athens in 2004 earned his second world title of the year having been crowned world cross country champion in Kenya in March.
He finished a disappointing fourth in the 10,000m at the Osaka World Championships in August, though.