This archive report was first published on 21 November 2019.
Geoffrey Kamworor, the world's top half-marathon runner, has been officially recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as the record holder in the event.
His initial record of 58:23, set in 2010 in Lisbon, was broken by Zersenay Tadese, but the IAAF has now confirmed that Kamworor's record still stands.
On September 15, 2019, Kamworor defended his title at the Copenhagen Half Marathon, setting a new record of 58:01, a difference of 22 seconds from his previous record.
At the age of 26, Kamworor had already won three of his first titles in Denmark in 2014.
He completed the first 5 kilometers in 13:53, followed by a world record in the fast section, but increased his pace to finish the 10th kilometer in 27:34, which was four seconds faster than his target.
He finished the first 15 kilometers in 41:05, a new record in the event, and 11 seconds faster than the previous record of 58 minutes.
Although he began to slow down in the final kilometers, he still finished the 20th kilometer in 55:00, setting a new world record.
As a two-time champion in 2015 and 2017, Kamworor had been close to breaking the record, but the time was still elusive until he set a new record of 58:01.
Source: Twitter
