Sabastian Sawe Shatters Prague Half Marathon Course Record with 58:24

Sabastian Sawe, the reigning World Half Marathon champion, shattered a 14-year-old record at the Prague Half Marathon, an event recognized by World Athletics Elite Label, clocking an impressive personal best of 58:24 this Saturday. This achievement came just a week after his seventh-place finish at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, contributing to Kenya’s men’s team gold medal. Despite the quick turnaround, Sawe appeared undiminished, dictating the pace under Prague’s warm conditions and breaking away in the latter half to finish ahead of his countrymen, Geofry Toroitich Kipchumba (1:00:01) and Patrick Mosin (1:00:15), improving his personal best by five seconds for a commanding victory.

The competition in the women’s field was tighter, with Ethiopia’s Gete Alemayehu and Kenya’s Jesca Chelangat exchanging leads beyond the 15km mark. Alemayehu ultimately pulled ahead to secure the win in 1:08:10, just three seconds ahead of Chelangat, with Ethiopia’s Nigsti Haftu rounding out the podium in third place at 1:09:30.

From the start, the men’s lead pack, escorted by two pacemakers, quickly distanced themselves. Once the pacemakers dropped off, Sawe took the helm, leading solo from the 10km mark onwards. He extended his lead to 45 seconds by the 15km point, finishing in a world-leading time of 58:24, which elevated him from 14th to 12th on the global all-time list.

In the women’s race, Alemayehu and Chelangat were side by side up until the 5km mark, after which Chelangat initially pulled ahead. However, Alemayehu made a strong comeback, overtaking Chelangat after the 15km mark and maintaining her lead to clinch the victory in a tightly contested race.

The event concluded with a Kenyan dominance in the men’s top five, showcasing the depth of talent from Kenya in long-distance running, while the women’s race highlighted fierce competition and strategic racing, particularly between the leading Ethiopian and Kenyan runners.

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TOP RESULTS MEN HALF MARATHON

1. Sebastian Sawe (KEN) - 58:23
2. Geofry Kipchumba - 1:00:00
3. Patrick Mosin - 1:00:14
4. Gideon Rop - 1:00:44
5. Jackson Muema - 1:01:59
6. Mohcin Outalha - 1:02:03
7. Fredrick Domongole - 1:03:20
8. Yakoub Labquira - 1:03:30
9. Peter Kipsirart - 1:03:31
10. Ahmed Jaddar - 1:03:34

TOP RESULTS WOMEN HALF MARATHON

1. Gete Alemayehu Teklemichael (ETH) - 1:08:10
2. Jesca Chelangat - 1:08:12
3. Nigsti Haftu Tesfay - 1:09:29
4. Vivian Melly - 1:09:32
5. Sultan Haydar - 1:09:47
6. Anchinalu Genaneh - 1:11:09
7. Jennifer Gulikers - 1:13:53
8. Tereza Hrochova - 1:14:18
9. Lauren Hall - 1:15:29
10. Nicole Egger - 1:17:01