Kenyan athletes dominate 17th Istanbul half marathon
Rodgers Kwemoi finished first in the men's race and Hellen Obiri finished first in the women's race at the event that featured more than 650 foreign athletes from 65 countries.
Kenyan middle and long-distance runner Obiri has previously won 10 global medals in the 1500 metres, 3,000 metres, 5,000 metres, and cross-country since 2011.
Kenyan runners Rodgers Kwemoi and Hellen Obiri have won the 17th Istanbul Half Marathon, an annual road run that this year featured hundreds racing through Türkiye's metropolis.
Rodgers Kwemoi of Kenya finished first in the men's half marathon with a time of 59 minutes and 15 seconds, setting a track record on Sunday.
His countryman Daniel Mateiko finished second with a time of 1 hour and 5 seconds, followed by Kenyan Emmanuel Bor at third with a time of 1 hour and 20 seconds.
Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri also took first place in the women's category with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 48 seconds.
Ethiopia's Tsehay Gemechu was second with a time of 1 hour, 5 minutes and 52 seconds, followed by Kenya's Vicoty Chepngeno with 1 hour, 6 minutes and 58 seconds.
Kenyan male long-distance runner Kwemoi competes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres and was the bronze medallist in the latter event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Turkish athletes
Among Turkish athletes, Ramazan Ozdemir completed the race with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 2 seconds in the men’s categories, and Yasemin Can ran the race in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 57 seconds in the women’s category.
Another Turkish athlete, Alihan Yilgin, won the 10 kilometre (6.21 miles) race.
An award ceremony was held near the starting area for the winning runners.
The event, with more than 650 foreign athletes from 65 countries competing, had two categories: 21 kilometres (13 miles) and 10 kilometres.
The first-place winners were awarded $7,500, second-place finishers $5,000, and third-place finishers $4,000.
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