Leonard Barsoton obliterated the field on Sunday morning, December 18, to break the course record at India's 2022 Tata Steel Kolkata road race.
The multiple World Cross Country Championships silver medalist overcame a star-studded field that included one-time Tokyo Marathon winner Birhanu Legese, Alfred Ngeno, and Abdisa Tola.
Reigning Commonwealth Games Marathon champion Victor Kiplangat was also in the mix.
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Barsoton reached the tape at 1:12.49 to smash the previous course record of 1:13.48 set by Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele two years ago.
At the 20-kilometer mark, fellow countryman Alfred Ngeno was in the driving seat, with several competitors following him closely.
However, at 21.1km, Leonard stepped on the gas and retained the title he spectacularly won last year.
Birhanu and Kiplangat clocked 1.12:54 and 1:12.56, respectively, in a tightly contested race to settle for second and third-place finishes.
The fourth and fifth-place finishes went to Kenya’s Alfred Ngeno and Ethiopia’s Abdisa Tola.
In the women’s category, Ethiopia’s Desi Jisa emerged victorious in a race dominated by her countrywomen.
Desi clocked 1:21.04 to run away with the title ahead of Zeineba Yimer and Uganda’s Mercyline Chelangat.
No Kenyan woman managed to finish in the top five positions.