Selly Chepyego, Betty Chepkwony, Emilly Arusio, and Sandrafelis Chebet are the women expected to represent Kenya at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday, November 16, 2023.

Chebet will be making her debut in a race that will see a quintet of sub-2:21 runners compete, aiming to break the course record of 2:20:36 set by Ethiopian Yebrgual Melese in 2018.

While the Kenyans hope to conquer the race, they will have to face and beat other high-profile runners, including Tadu Teshome, 22, from Ethiopia. Teshome boasts a personal best of 2:17:36, and she is the favorite in Shanghai.

Teshome heads to Shanghai with some morale-boosting achievements that include the 2022 Copenhagen Half Marathon title. She is also a former winner of marathons in Barcelona and Riyadh.

The Ethiopian achieved her career-best mark in 2022 in Valencia and clocked 2:20:04 to finish fifth last month in Chicago.

Experienced Chepyego

Although she is 38, Chepyego, who is the 2014 world half marathon bronze medallist and set a personal best of 2:20:03 to finish second in Barcelona in March before finishing seventh at the World Athletics Championship in Buadapest, remains one of the favourites.

Bahrain’s Eunice Chumba is also a strong contestant. The 30-year-old, who holds her nation’s record, is unbeaten in two races this year, as she raced in 2:20:31 to win in Rotterdam in April and won before winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in October.

China has always been a promising hunting ground for Chumba, who claimed trophies in Dongying and Liupanshui and at the 2019 Military Games in Wuhan.

Ethiopia’s Teshome will have the company of Etagegne Woldu, whose personal best of 2:20:03 came in Valencia last year. Nazret Weldu of Eritrea, an eighth-place finisher in Budapest in August, is also a formidable candidate. Weldu finished fourth at the World Championships in Oregon in July 2022.

Homegrown talent Zhang Deshun of China, who is the defending champion, will also feature. Deshun upgraded her personal best to 2:24:05 to finish fourth in Nagoya before a second-place finish behind Chumba at the Hangzhou Asian Games, timing 2:27:55.

Women’s elite fields in Shanghai

Tadu Teshome (ETH) 2:17:36
Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:02
Selly Chepyego (KEN) 2:20:03
Etagegne Woldu (ETH) 2:20:03
Nazret Weldu (ERI) 2:20:29
Siranesh Yirga (ETH) 2:21:08
Betty Chepkwony (KEN) 2:23:02
Zhang Deshun (CHN) 2:24:05
Emily Arusio (KEN) 2:25:22
Bai Li (CHN) 2:26:33
Ding Changqin (CHN) 2:26:54
Zhang Xinyan (CHN) 2:26:56
Chernet Misganaw (ETH) 2:27:17
Jackline Sakilu (TAN) 2:37:55
Sandrafelis Chebet (KEN) debut