Gladys Chepkurui leads Kenyan quartet to clean sweep in Bangsaen21 Half Marathon
By Collins Amanga, December 17, 2023
Kenyan athlete Gladys Chepkurui emerged victorious in the Bangsaen21 Half Marathon, a prestigious World Athletics Platinum Label road race held in the Thai city of Chonburi on Sunday.
Chepkurui delivered an impressive performance, completing the race in 1 hour, 9 minutes, and 46 seconds to secure the women’s title.
Gladys Chepkurui early stages
In the early stages of the women’s race, Chepkurui and fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, the 2019 world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich, and Angela Tanui formed a competitive quartet.
Chepkirui took an early lead with Chepngetich, establishing a 14-second gap over Chepkurui and Tanui at the 5km mark, recorded at 15:39.
As the race progressed, Chepkirui increased her lead, running solo and building a nine-second advantage over Chepngetich at the 10km mark (32:36).
Meanwhile, Chepkurui and Tanui maintained their pursuit, trailing by an additional 16 seconds.
Grace Chepkurui strategic
Undeterred by the gap, Chepkurui executed a strategic race, gradually closing in on her competitors. She first caught up with Chepngetich and then overtook Chepkirui, leading the race at the 15km mark (49:13).
Chepkurui continued to extend her lead, crossing the finish line 17 seconds ahead of Chepkirui, securing her victory with a remarkable time of 1:09:46.
Angela Tanui claimed the third spot in the women’s race, finishing in 1:11:08, while former world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich secured fourth place with a time of 1:11:51.
Leading results
Women
1 Gladys Chepkurui (KEN) 1:09:46
2 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 1:10:03
3 Angela Tanui (KEN) 1:11:08
4 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 1:11:51
5 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 1:12:36