Why Rhonex Kipruto’s remarkable world record is under threat

The 10km world record held by Kenyan runner Rhonex Kipruto will come under threat on Sunday, January 14 when star athletes line up at the 2024 Valencia Ibercaja road race.

Kipruto set the record in 2020 at the same event when he destroyed the field to cross the finishing line in a time of 26.24.

Some of the star athletes who will attempt to lower Kipruto’s mark include the reigning half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda and South Sudan-born runner Dominic Lobalu.

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Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera, who has a personal best of 26:56, will also be at the starting line up in Valencia.

Dutch representative Richard Douma (personal best 28:08) and Italian runner Pietro Riva (personal best 27:50) have also been confirmed for the race.

Fast-rising Kenyan woman Agnes Jebet Ngetich will lead the assault on the women’s world record that is currently being held by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw. Yehualaw broke the previous world record at the 2022 Castellón 10K race.

She stopped the stopwatch at 29:14 to smash the then record of 29:38 set by her fellow countrywoman Kalkidan Gezahegne at the Giants Geneva 10K race in October 2021.

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However, Valencia Ibercaja race coordinator José Enrique Muñoz Acuña has revealed that Yehualaw will not feature this year due to an injury.

“Jebet arrives at the starting line in top form to try to unseat the world record of Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who was also going to accompany her this year, but was prevented by a last-minute injury,” he commented.

Some of the other runners who have held the 10K women’s world record in the past include the Kenyan duo of Joyciline Jepkosgei (29:38) and the late Agnes Tirop (30:01).

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Ngetich is expected to face stiff competition from runners such as Karoline Bjerkeli Grövdal (Norway) and Agueda Marques (Spain).

Besides Ngetich, who narrowly missed the world record in 2023 when she clocked 29:26 in a race held in Lille, France, Jessica Chelangat of Kenya was also scheduled to present herself at the starting line.

However, it has been confirmed by the organizers that she will not feature in this year’s edition because of sickness.

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