Kenyan athlete Rogers Kwemoi on Sunday, March 27 set a new record in the 17th edition of the Istanbul Half Marathon held in Instanbul, Turkey.
Kwemoi ran the 21-kilometre race in 59 minutes and 22 seconds, beating the previous record by 13 seconds.
He broke a record set in April 2021, by Kibiwott Kandie who clocked 59.35
Kwemoi broke out from a group of three including athlete Daniel Mateiko and his pacesetter Emmanuel Bor after the 10-kilometre mark.
He opened up an 80 kilometre gap with Mateiko cruising 15 minutes in under 42 minutes before sprinting to the finish line.
Kenya scooped a one-two-three finish in the men's marathon with Mateiko winning silver (1.00.05) and Emmanuel Bor (1.00.20) settling for bronze.
In the women's half marathon, Hellen Obiri bagged the gold medal completing the race in 1:04:47. She was followed by Ethiopians Tsegay Gemechu and Bekelech Gudeta who came in second and third respectively.
Gemechi registered a time of 1:05:53 while Gudeta finished the race in 1.06.35, her personal best.
The performance of both men and women teams was celebrated by the Kenyan Olympic Team and the National Olympic Committee.
"The Men's race in Istanbul half marathon was a Kenyan affair. A 1,2,3 sweep for Rodgers Kwemoi, Daniel Mateiko and Emmanuel Bor. Congratulations lads. Happy Sunday, Happy News. Hellen Obiri brings home that Istanbul Half Marathon title," NOC wrote.
Notably, the Kenyan athletes were commended for putting out a good performance despite the harsh weather conditions characterised by strong swirly winds.
In 2021, Ruth Chepng'etich broke the world record in the women's half marathon after running the race in 1:04:02, 29 seconds less than the previous record.