Hagos Gebrhiwet, Gotytom Gebreslase targeting victory in Valencia

Addis Ababa, October 21, 2023 (FBC) – Newly minted world half road-running champion Hagos Gebrhiwet and 2022 world marathon champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia will be among the favorites at the Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso when the World Athletics Elite Label road race gets under way on Sunday.

Accordng to World Athletics, the event has witnessed two world records in recent years, first with Kibiwott Kandie’s 57:32 clocking in 2020 and then with Letesenbet Gidey’s 1:02:52 the following year, so there’s always a certain level of expectation for fast times in the Spanish city.

Hagos Gebrhiwet and fellow Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, who took silver behind Gebrhiwet in the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga, will lead a strong men’s line-up. Both men enjoyed a strong track campaign this year, setting 5000m PBs of 12:41.73 (Kejelcha) and 12:42.18 (Gebrhiwet), but they also have good pedigree on the roads. Kejelcha won the Valencia Half in 2019 in a PB of 58:32, while Gebrhiwet has a best for the distance of 58:55.

The men’s line-up will also feature Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe and Kibiwott Kandie as well as three others with sub-59-minute PBs.

The women’s contest looks set to be a battle between three global medallists: Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase, Kenya’s Margaret Chelimo and Germany’s Melat Kejeta.

After winning the 2022 world marathon title in a PB of 2:18:11, Gotytom Gebreslase took silver over the same distance at this year’s World Championships in Budapest. This weekend in Valencia, the 28-year-old will hope to improve upon the PB of 1:05:36 she set a couple of years ago in Manama.

Ethiopia’s Ftaw Zeray, Nigsti Haftu and Tigist Gezahagn will also be in the mix. Zeray placed sixth at the World Road Running Championships and has a 1:06:04 PB, set earlier this year in Ras Al Khaimah. Haftu set her PB of 1:06:17 in Valencia in 2021, while T13 (visual impairment) Paralympic 1500m champion Gezahagn won this year’s Granollers Half Marathon in a PB of 1:06:41.

More than 100 nationalities will be represented in the mass race of 22,000 competitors. Weather forecasters call for a cloudy and windless day with temperature about 15C at the time of the event.