22.08.2021 ob 12:31
Deli članek
Jepkosgei breaks course record and Kipkoech takes race with world lead

Berlin (MOREL)- Joyciline Jepkosgei won the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON with a world-class time of 65:16 minutes, surprisingly setting a course record. The 27-year-old Kenyan provided the top sporting highlight at the event. She broke the mark set by double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan. The Dutchwoman had run 65:45 in Berlin in 2019. Second-placed Nancy Meto also remained under the old course record with 65:21. Third place also went to a Kenyan: Valary Aiyabei was at the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate after 67:32. Actually, it was the men and not the women who had set the course record as their declared goal.

While winner Felix Kipkoech missed the course best by just 15 seconds, he did run a world best for the year: the 23-year-old Kenyan won in 58:57 ahead of compatriots Josphat Tanui (59:40) and Philemon Kiplimo (59:54). It is only the third time in the history of the race that the winner has achieved a time of under 59 minutes. The fastest Germans placed 9th and 8th respectively in the international top field: Philipp Pflieger (LT Haspa Marathon Hamburg) finished ninth after 63:03 , Berlin's Rabea Schöneborn (LG Nord) achieved a personal best time of 70:35 to place eighth.
With three men's times under one hour and four women's times under 70 minutes - more than ever before - the race also had a very good breadth at the top.

And there were also outstanding performances in the skater race: For the first time, the men stayed under 30 minutes at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. With a winning time of 29:38 minutes, Bart Swings from Belgium and Felix Rijhnen from Darmstadt (both TEAM ROLLERBLADE/MATTER World) were well below the previous course record (30:11 min.). "We absolutely went to the limit today," clarified Rijhnen after the race. The women also undercut the course record, which has already existed since 2005, by ten seconds: Sandrine Tas (TEAM ROLLERBLADE/MATTER World/Belgium) won in 36:12 minutes, the same time as her teammates Katharina Rumpus (Darmstadt) and Laethisia Schimek (Otzberg). "We are looking forward to competing again in Berlin on September 25," said Rumpus at the finish line. Then the BMW BERLIN- MARATHON starts, for which the Skaters can still register until August 26.

It was also an anniversary with a year and a half delay: In April 2020, the 40th edition of the traditional race should be started. Due to the Corona pandemic, the race could neither take place in 2020 nor in spring 2021. A hygiene concept agreed with the authorities has now made it possible to restart the GENERALI BERLINER HALF MARATHON. Jürgen Lock, managing director of the organizer SCC EVENTS, underlines this with the following statements: "In the last nine months, several hundred hours of internal and external
experts in the independent development of the hygiene concept for large running events. The additional financial outlay for the implementation of the hygiene concept was high, in the mid to high six-figure euro range". It makes me super happy to be able to do something for the running community again. And to organize such major events safely. The high rate of vaccinated and recovered participants (91.3 percent) also gives us confidence for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in five weeks." The governing mayor, Michael Müller, was also enthusiastic: "That you can now finally experience this great anniversary half marathon in the city again is wonderful and we see everywhere that the city is practically waking up again - in the hotel industry, gastronomy and now also in sports."

A total of 15,096 participants from 130 nations took part in the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, including 14,508 runners, 572 skaters, 14 hand cyclists and 2 wheelchair athletes over the 21.0975 km distance. This made the race the largest run in the world so far this year.

Runnners Top Men:

Felix KipkoechKEN58:57

Josphat TanuiKEN59:40

Philemon KiplimoKEN59:54

Raymond MagutKEN1:00:16

Wisley KibichiiKEN1:01:04


RunnersTop Women:

Joyciline JepkosgeiKEN1:05:16

Nancy MetoKEN1:05:21

Valary AiyabeiKEN1:07:32

Nigsti HaftuETH1:08:05

Helen TolaETH1:08:27

. (ends)