Kiplagat sets two world records; Kenya sweeps team titles

At the 2nd IAAF World Road Running Championships in Udine, Italy on Sunday, kicking from a tight four man pack in the 57th minute, Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea successfully defended his title, while the Netherlands' Lornah Kiplagat also repeated as world champion, but ran unchallenged to two world records.

Tadese, also the reigning World Cross Country champion, covered the half-marathon distance (13.1 miles) in 58 minutes, 59 seconds, a national and championships record, comfortably holding off Kenyan Patrick Makau Musyoki's (59:02) homestretch rally by three seconds. Kenyan Evans Cheruiyot was third (59:05) and Ethiopian Deriba Merga, who along with Tadese controlled much of the race's tempo, was fourth (59:16).

Over the three lap, flat course on the streets of this northeastern Italian city, the first seven finishers dipped under 60 minutes, the most in one race in the same year. In addition, 8 men set national records.

Kenyan won the team gold with Musyoki (runner-up) and Cheruiyot (third) leading the way. Eritrea and Ethiopia were second and third, respectively. The U.S. men did not field a team.

Lornah Kiplagat's race was the story of the day as the 33-year-old Kenyan-born athlete shattered by 24 seconds the 20K road record (1:03:21 to 1:02:57), the former which she achieved with her World Road Running Championships victory in Debrecen a year ago, then speeding through the last kilometer, claimed the gold medal over the half-marathon distance in 1:06:25.

That time sliced 19 seconds from the previous world record of 1:06:44 which South Africa's Elana Meyer set over eight years ago with her victory in Tokyo, although the world's fastest-ever time is Paula Radcliffe's 1:05:40 on the slightly downhill BUPA Great Run course from Newcastle to South Shields in 2003.

For her outstanding efforts, the 2007 World Cross Country champion took home $80,000 ($30,000 for the win and a $50,000 world record bonus).

Mary Jepkosgei Keitany of Kenya won the silver medal in 1:06:48, a national record by one second, while teammate Pamela Chepchumba was third (1:08:06).

Like past world road championships, there was incredible depth with 17 lifetime bests from the top 20 female finishers, 7 national records and the fastest women's top 10 ever for the distance.

With three women in the top 6, Kenya handily won the team gold medal. Ethiopia earned the silver and Japan the bronze. 2004 Olympic medalist Deena Kastor, who was 16th (1:09:38), led Team USA to 6th place.

2nd IAAF World Road Running Championships: Half-Marathon
Udine, ITA, Sunday, October 14, 2007

MEN
1) Zersenay Tadese (ERI), 58:59, $30,000 v 2) Patrick Makau Musyoki (KEN), 59:02, $15,000
3) Evans Kiprop Cheruiyot (KEN), 59:05, $10,000
4) Deriba Merga (ETH), 59:16, $7000
5) Yonas Kifle (ERI), 59:30, $5000
6) Dieudonne Disi (RWA), 59:32, $3000
7) Marilson Gomes dos Santos (BRA), 59:33
8) Dickson Marwa Mkami (TAN), 1:00:24
9) Atsushi Sato (JPN), 1:00:25
10) Cuthbert Nyasango (ZIM), 1:00:26

TEAM
1) Kenya, 2:58:54, $15,000
2) Eritrea, 2:59:08, $12,000
3) Ethiopia, 3:01:15, $9000
4) Tanzania, 3:02:19, $7500
5) Qatar, 3:04:03, $6000
6) Rwanda, 3:04:14, $3000

WOMEN
1) Lornah Kiplagat (NED), 1:06:25#, $80,000*
2) Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (KEN), 1:06:48, $15,000
3) Pamela Chepchumba (KEN), 1:08:06, $10,000
4) Bezunesh Bekele (ETH), 1:08:07, $7000
5) Atsede Habtamu (ETH), 1:08:29, $5000
6) Everline Kemunto Kimwei (KEN), 1:08:39, $3000
7) Chisato Osaki (JPN), 1:08:56
8) Luminita Talpos (ROM), 1:09:01
9) Alice Jemeli Timbilili (KEN), 1:09:09
10) Alina Gherasim (ROM), 1:09:14
U.S.
16) Deena Kastor (CA), 1:09:38
27) Katie McGregor (MN), 1:12:01
32) Tara Storage (OH), 1:12:47
34) Desiree Davila (MI), 1:12:54
Alicia Shay (AZ), DNF
#world record (previous record, 1:06:44, Elana Meyer (RSA), Tokyo City, JPN, 01/15/99)
*includes $50,000 world record bonus

TEAM
1) Kenya, 3:23:33, $15,000
2) Ethiopia, 3:25:51, $12,000
3) Japan, 3:27:39, $9000
4) Romania, 3:28:23, $7500
5) Russia, 3:28:59, $6000
6) USA, 3:34:26, $3000

Full results, splits and more at: www.iaaf.org/WRU07/index.html