Sheila Chepkirui won the Valencia Half Marathon in 1:03:51 on 25 October, the fastest women's mark of the year, according to World Athletics. Kenyan compatriot Diana Wanza finished a second behind as the race produced unprecedented depth in the women's field.
Chepkirui holds off Wanza after a Kenyan breakaway
World Athletics' 25 October report says Chepkirui, Wanza and Daisilah Jerono reached 15km together in 45:31, with their group 24 seconds clear of the other contenders. Chepkirui had company for much of the race despite the gap behind them. The three Kenyans were still the central contest as the finish approached.
Jerono lost contact before the final checkpoint. World Athletics' 25 October account places Chepkirui and Wanza at 20km in 1:00:30, with Jerono seven seconds back. That left the winner and runner-up to settle the race in the closing stretch. Chepkirui accelerated, and Wanza's chase kept the winning margin to a single second.
The World Athletics report dated 25 October gives Wanza 1:03:52 and Jerono 1:04:11, completing a Kenyan sweep of the women's podium. Both Chepkirui and Wanza improved their personal bests. World Athletics describes Chepkirui's winning time as a world lead, while Wanza's runner-up performance also lifted her on the all-time list.
Two all-time measures explain Chepkirui's ranking
SportsRivo compared the World Athletics race report with the Valencia Half Marathon organiser's separate historical performance table. World Athletics ranks Chepkirui joint fifth among individual women over the half marathon, while the organiser lists her Valencia finish joint seventh among individual performances. The figures count different things: an athlete appears once in the first measure, while a runner can hold several entries in the second.
The Valencia Half Marathon's international elite selector, Marc Roig, said on its 26 October page: “Sheila and Diana exceeded expectations and delivered.” Its table places Chepkirui alongside Yalemzerf Yehualaw at the same mark and Wanza immediately behind. The official World Athletics results for 25 October, checked separately by SportsRivo, list six women below 65 minutes; the next finisher, Gladys Kwamboka, is outside that group.
World lead and record depth for the women's field
- World Athletics' 25 October report puts Chepkirui at the top of the women's season list after her Valencia victory. Her time also makes her joint fifth-fastest individual woman over the distance.
- Wanza's runner-up finish gave her a personal best and placed her sixth among individual women in history, according to World Athletics' 25 October report. She was one second behind Chepkirui at the line.
- World Athletics' 25 October report says the six women under 65 minutes represent the first such depth in a women's half marathon. The official result table confirms the finishing order and the threshold.
Source: World Athletics