Gladys Chepkurui dominates the Bangsaen21 Half Marathon

Kenya’s Gladys Chepkurui dominated women’s race at the 9th edition of the Bangsaen21 Half Marathon, a world platinum race, held on Sunday (17) in Bang Saen Beach, Thailand.

The 29 year-old who came to this race with a life time best of 1:05.46 that she got early this year at the Edreams Mitja Zurich Marato Barcelona, where she finished in fourth place, took charge of the race at the 5k mark in 15:13 as she tagged along the former world half marathon record holder and the fastest athlete on paper with a time of 1:04.02, Ruth Chepngetich and the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon champion, Angela Tanui and the Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist, Sheila Chepkirui.

Chepkirui a made a surprise move at the 10k mark, leaving chepngetich gasping for more air as she took charge of the race with Chepkirui and Tanui sticking with her for the next sixteen seconds as she was dropped them too, leaving the reigning Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon champion to command the race for the last six kilometres, cutting the tape first in a time of 1:09.46 with Tanui following in second place seventeen seconds later.

The 2016 Africa 5000m closed the podium three finishes in a time of 1:11.08 with chepngetich and Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw coming home in fourth and fifth place in respective time of 1:11.51 and 1:12.36.

The race course record of  1:07.45 set last year by Hellen Obiri from Kenya remains standing.

LEADING RESULTS

21KM MEN

1. Gladys Chepkurui     (KEN) 1:09.46
2. Sheila Chepkirui       (KEN) 1:10.03
3. Angela Tanui             (KEN) 1:11.08
4. Ruth Chepngetich     (KEN) 1:11.51
5. Degitu Azimeraw       (ETH) 1:12.36