Kipyegon runs joint 14th on the world all-time best in 10km debut

Kenya’s world 1500m record-holder Faith Kipyegon clocked 29:46 when making her 10km debut at the Monaco Run on Sunday.

The 32-year-old, who ran her world track mile record of 4:07.64 in Monaco in 2023, now sits joint 14th on the world all-time list for the road 10km – her farthest race so far.

“I just enjoy coming to Monaco,” she said before the race. “It’s a very special place where I usually enjoy running track and now I am here on a different mission, to run on the road. This is another challenge – to do more than 5km on the roads. 

“It’s a matter of learning, to know how road works. I normally talk of doing marathon in the future, so this is the start.”

The three-time Olympic 1500m gold medallist, who also owns four world 1500m titles and a world 5000m crown, passed the 5km mark in 14:59 on Sunday.

Running alongside Benard Soi and Yonah Mateiko, she maintained that pace over the next few kilometres before speeding up to win in 29:46.

“What a beautiful morning!” she wrote on social media. “Grateful for my 29:47 10k debut on the roads and already looking forward to more.”

Diane van Es ran a Dutch record of 14:33 to win the 5km – the second fastest women’s time by a European athlete on the roads.

The European 10,000m silver medallist won clear ahead of Belgium’s Jana Van Lent, who was second in a national record of 14:48, and Slovenia’s Klara Lukan (15:04).

Van Es holds the ratified European record of 14:39, which she set when finishing second in Monaco last year, but Nadia Battocletti has since gone quicker with 14:32 – a mark that is yet to be ratified.

It was a Dutch 5km double as Tim Verbaandert won the men’s race ahead of his compatriot Juan Zijderlaan, 13:24 to 13:28. Valentin Gondouin of France was third (13:29).

Chemnung and Gebrhiwet run half marathon world leads in Barcelona

Meanwhile, Loice Chemnung set a women’s course record of 1:04:01 while Hagos Gebrhiwet also claimed a commanding men’s race win in 58:05 at the Mitja Marató de Barcelona road race.

Both winners achieved the fastest half marathon performances in the world so far this year with dominant performances. Kenya’s Chemnung moved to sixth on the world all-time list and won the race by two minutes ahead of USA’s Weini Kelati Frezghi, who improved her own North American record by five seconds to 1:06:04. Ethiopia’s Gebrhiwet, meanwhile, finished more than a minute clear of Switzerland’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (59:25).

Chemnung and Kelati Frezghi ran close to each other alongside male runners in the early stages of the race, but Chemnung pulled away by the 5km mark and was seven seconds ahead of Kelati Frezghi at that stage – 15:20 to 15:27.

Chemnung, who finished fourth in the Chicago Marathon in October, increased her advantage to 42 seconds by 10km after picking up the pace and passing that checkpoint in 30:09.

She maintained the momentum to hit 15km in 45:17 and her happiness at the finish line was clear – the 28-year-old breaking the tape in 1:04:01 to improve on the course record of 1:04:13 set by her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei last year.

Kelati Frezghi followed her home in 1:06:04, while Ethiopia’s Diniya Kedir Abaraya passed USA’s Taylor Roe to clinch third place in 1:06:28.

Gebrhiwet looked on a mission in the men’s race. The 2016 Olympic 5000m bronze medallist and Lobalu broke away and were two seconds apart at 5km – Gebrhiwet leading in 13:52.

He sped up and ran 13:26 for the next 5km, running solo to reach the 10km checkpoint in 27:18, 25 seconds ahead of Lobalu. Although Gebrhiwet couldn’t maintain that pace and hit 15km in 41:58, he still moved further away from his rivals and had an advantage of 52 seconds at that stage.

The world 5km champion, who will make his marathon debut in London in April, continued untroubled to win in 58:05. Lobalu was second in 59:26 and Emmanuel Roudolff of France third in 59:37.

Leading results

Women
1 Loice Chemnung (KEN) 1:04:01
2 Weini Kelati Frezghi (USA) 1:06:04
3 Diniya Kedir Abaraya (ETH) 1:06:28
4 Taylor Roe (USA) 1:06:52
5 Magdalyne Yeko Masai (KEN) 1:07:42
6 Domenika Mayer (GER) 1:08:08
7 Netsanet Desta Gebre (ETH) 1:08:10
8 Mekdes Woldu (FRA) 1:08:36

Men
1 Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) 58:05
2 Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (SUI) 59:26
3 Emmanuel Roudolff (FRA) 59:37
4 Samwel Nyamai Mailu (KEN) 59:42
5 Hagos Eyob (ETH) 59:42
6 Jack Rayner (AUS) 59:53
7 Amos Kipkemoi Bett (KEN) 58:53
8 Zak Mahamed (GBR) 1:00:46