Kiplimo elated by first podium finish in Bahrain

Kenya’s Philemon Kiplimo claimed victory at the Bahrain Royal International Night Half Marathon, a World Athletics Label road race, when the event returned for its second edition on Sunday 12 December.  

Kiplimo led a Kenyan top five in the men’s race and had formed part of a lead group that followed the pacemakers through 5km in 13:58 and 10km in 27:35.

A seven-strong pack passed 15km in 42:24 and things remained close until the final stages, with Kiplimo edging ahead to deny Kenya Defence Forces’ 10,000m champion Collins Koros, both clocking 1:00.01. Mathew Kimeli finished third just three seconds back.

Titus Mbishei finished fourth in 1:00:23, one second ahead of Geoffrey Koech, while Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer was sixth in 1:00:29.

“Even though I did not beat my Personal Best time in the distance which is 58:11.04 in the distance set at the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP half marathon on 6 December I am happy for the podium finish. It was a competitive race so winning comes as a plus to my profile,” said Kiplimo.

Korir breaks Zurich marathon course record

Meanwhile, Koros lowered his PB by .05 from the 1:00.06 set in Valencia too during the half marathon event held on 24 October. “I had a lot of competition from Ethiopians and my Kenyan counterparts making it a tough race but I am happy for the silver. It is a good ending to my year and I look forward to lowering my time next season,” said Koros.

After running 2:20:09 to triumph when making her marathon debut in Berlin in September, Gotytom Gebreslase achieved another impressive result as she improved her half marathon PB to 1:05:36 in Manama to win by 11 seconds ahead of home favourite Kalkidan Gezahegne, the Olympic 10,000m silver medalist who was making her half-marathon debut after breaking the world 10km record with 29:38 in Geneva in October.

The women’s race had got off to a blistering start, with Gebreslase and Gezahegne both part of a group that passed the 5km mark in 14:53, well inside world record pace. The race also featured Kenya’s former world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich, who had run 1:04:02 in Istanbul in April and won October’s Chicago Marathon in 2:22:31, but she ran to around 17km in Manama and did not finish.

Gebreslase and Gezahegne maintained their pace through 10km, with the clock showing 29:49, four seconds off the split recorded by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey en route to the 1:02:52 women’s half marathon record she set in Valencia in October.

Gebreslase had increased her lead to 11 seconds by the finish, with the top two clear ahead of the rest of the field. Sheila Kiprotich secured third place in 1:07:01 and was followed by her Kenyan compatriots Irene Cheptai, who was four seconds back, and Daisy Cherotich, who ran 1:07:11, with a total of 11 athletes finishing inside 68 minutes.

Women

1 Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 1:05:36

2 Kalkidan Gezahegne (BRN) 1:05:47

3 Sheila Kiprotich (KEN) 1:07:01

4 Irene Cheptai (KEN) 1:07:05

5 Daisy Cherotich (KEN) 1:07:11

Men

1 Philemon Kiplimo (KEN) 1:00:01

2 Collins Koros (KEN) 1:00:01

3 Mathew Kimeli (KEN) 1:00:04

4 Titus Mbishei (KEN) 1:00:23

5 Geoffrey Koech (KEN) 1:00:24