Athletics: Amanal Petros with a German record, Letesenbet Gidey runs a half marathon world record

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Letesenbet Gidey at the finish in Valencia

Photo:

Miguel Angel Polo / EPA

Letesenbet Gidey set a new world record in the Valencia half marathon.

The 23-year-old from Ethiopia ran the distance on Sunday in 1:02:52 hours and increased the record of the Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich from April in Istanbul by 1:10 minutes.

This makes Gidey the first woman to stay below the prestigious three-minute mark per kilometer in a half marathon.

For Gidey, the competition in Spain was the first ever over this distance.

A year earlier she had already set a world record over 5000 meters (14: 06.62 minutes) in Valencia.

Gidey is also the world record holder over 10,000 meters (29: 01.03 minutes).

At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, she won the bronze medal over 10,000 meters in the summer after winning silver over the same distance at the World Championships in Doha 2019.

Gidey's compatriot Yalemzerf Yehualaw was also below the old world record in second in 63:51 minutes, while Kenyan Sheila Chepkiriu came third (64:53).

Amanal Petros runs to a German record

In the men's competition, Amanal Petros ran 12th to a German record in 60:09 minutes.

The 26-year-old undercut Carsten Eich's 28-year-old record from 1993 by 25 seconds.

Petros increased his own best time by almost a minute and a half, making him the fastest European in the race.

Eleven months ago, Petros had already set a German record over the full marathon distance, also in Valencia.

The Kenyan Abel Kipchumba secured victory in 58:07 minutes.

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