After emerging as a winner in the World Road Running Championships in Riga early in October, Sabastian Sawe now casts focus on the Valencia Half Marathon, which gets underway on Sunday, October 22, 2023.

Sawe will have to face competition from Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet, whom he battled in Riga. The 2022 world marathon champion, Gotytom Gebreslase, is also among the favourites for the World Athletics Elite Label title.

Eyes will be keen to see whether new records will be registered in the competition following recent achievements. The first record in the event was when Kibiwott Kandie who clocked 57:32 in 2020, followed by Letesenbet Gidey’s 1:02:52 in 2021.

Strong men’s line-up

Given his record in Riga, where he ran in 59:10, Sawe leads a strong men’s line-up. Additionally, the Kenyan is undefeated on the roads this year and would probably want to maintain the winning streak while also improving on his personal best of 58:02.

Kandie is expected to give Sawe a run for his money, given that he is the defending champion. The reigning champion broke the world record in Valencia, only to see his record broken again by Jacob Kiplimo.

However, Kandie was back on the Valencia course in 2022, where he emerged as the winner in 58:10. Both Kandie and Sawe met at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, and the former finished first.

Ethiopia’s representatives

Ethiopia’s aspiration in Valencia will also be carried by Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha. Kejelcha took silver behind Gebrhiwet in the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga.

Both men enjoyed a strong track campaign this year, setting 5000m personal bests of 12:41.73 (Kejelcha) and 12:42.18 (Gebrhiwet).

Kejelcha won the Valencia Half in 2019 with a PB of 58:32, while Gebrhiwet has a best for the distance of 58:55.

Kenya’s Matthew Kimeli, who has not competed this year, clocked 58:43 in Valencia in 2021 and will be competing after his 10-mile win in Zaandam in September.

Ethiopia’s 2021 world U20 3000m champion Tadese Worku made a promising half-marathon debut in Valencia last year in 58:47 and heads to Spain off the back of a 27:35 10km victory in Prague.

Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000m champion, is expected to compete too, as World Athletics reports. He has contested just one half marathon to date, and this was when he ran in 1:00:39 at the Great North Run.