Kibiwott Kandie smashes half marathon world record in 57:32
Kenyan among 4 runners to finish under Geoffrey Kamworor's previous mark of 58:01
Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie smashed the half marathon world record by 29 seconds on Sunday, becoming the first person to break 58 minutes at the Valencia Half Marathon.
Kandie, who finished second at the world half marathon championships in Gdynia in October, finished the Spanish annual race in 57 minutes 32 seconds, breaking the previous record of 58:01 set by compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in September 2019.
The top four men all ran under the previous world best, with Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda finishing second in 57:37, Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto third in 57:49 and Kenyan Alexander Mutiso taking fourth place in 57:59.
Kandie, 24, led the chasing pack, which included reigning world champion Kiplimo, through the 15-kilometer mark in 41:10.
WATCH | Kandie runs to new world record:
The pair traded the lead over the next six km before Kandie made the decisive move, to finish more than a minute off his previous personal best of 58:37.
Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba won the women's race in 1:05:18, setting the fastest time for a debut over the distance.