Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie smashes half marathon world record in Valencia

Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie broke the half marathon world record in Valencia on Sunday. The 24-year-old broke the world record by 29 seconds and became the first person to break 58 minutes at the Valencia Half Marathon.

Kandie finished the Spanish race in 57 minutes and 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.

The pack of runners included world champion Kiplimo.

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.

(Inputs from Reuters)