Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon champion Kibiwott Kandie yesterday won the Valencia Half Marathon in Spain.

Kandie clocked 58:11 ahead of Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha who clocked 58:32, while another Kenyan Daniel Mateiko was third at 58:40.

During a press conference, the 25- year -old Kenya Defence Forces officer who trains in Ngong explained that all went as he had hoped for since the weather was good and he ran according to the training he has been doing.

“I have been very focused on this race for the last two months, it is possible that I will get closer to the record times,” he said.

Kandie set the world record with 57.32 in Valencia two years ago. The record was later improved by Jacob Kiplimo, who clocked 57.31 in Lisbon in March 2021.

Kandie won the silver medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia in 2020 in 58:54 and the bronze medal in the 10000m at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in a lifetime best of 27:20.34.

He dipped under the 59 minutes barrier twice more, clocking 58:38 in Prague and 58:38 in Ras Al Khaimah in 2020.

Broke the tape

In the corresponding women’s category Germany’s European 5000m champion, Konstanze Klosterhalfen, clocked an impressive 1:05:41 on her debut in the half marathon to win the women’s race.

She broke the tape just five seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama, who ran 1:05:46 to take second place.

Hawi Feysa Gejia (ETH) concluded the women’s podium with a time of 1:06:00. Kenya’s Margaret Chelimo came a distant fourth at 1:06:50. Earlier this year, the 2019 World Championship silver medalist Chelimo won the women’s 10,000m race to be crowned the new champion as Kenya Police Athletics Championship

She dominated the race from gun to tape  in a field that included Sandrafellis Chebet, Stacy Ndiwa and Janet Ruguru.

Klosterhalfen also won the world bronze medal in the 5000m in Doha in 2019 and two European indoor silver medals in the 1500m in Belgrade in 2017 and in the 3000m in Glasgow in 2019.

The German athlete has recently trained in Kenya to prepare for her debut in the half marathon.

Chelimo won two world medals claiming silver in the 5000m in Doha in 2019 and bronze in the 10000m in Eugene in 2022.

The Kenyan athlete set her personal best times of 8:21.53 in the 3000m in Paris 2021, 14:27.12 in the 5000m in 2021 and 30:10.07 in the 10000m at the World Championships in Eugene.

Feysa improved her PB to 1:05.41 at the Copenhagen Half Marathon in 2021. The Ethiopian runners ran very fast on the track in the 3000m, with 8:38.48 in Lausanne and 14:33.66 in the 5000m in Oslo in 2022.