by Justin Lagat
The WCHM women’s lead pack, photo 1 by Dan Vernon Photography / World Athletics
Justin Lagat has been quite busy this past month. This piece, Justin did on the women’s event in Gydnia, Poland!
The world half marathon championships in Gdynia turned out to be more exciting than expected, given the current restrictions across the world due to the Covid-19 regulations.
The WCHM lead pack, photo 2 by Dan Vernon Photography / World Athletics
At the end of the day, a world record was registered in the women’s race, both races were run in new championship record times, 22 national records were recorded and another bigger number of personal best times were run.
The WCHM lead pack, photo 3 by Dan Vernon Photography / World Athletics
The women’s race in particular was arguably the most exciting one to watch. It was a fast pace from the beginning with all the big names in a leading pack of 13 runners that had quickly detached themselves from the rest of the field within the first 2km. In this group were two reigning world record holders for the women’s only half marathon, and the women’s mixed race half marathons. There were two immediate former world records of the two events as well, and the world defending champion.
Peres Jepchirchir, photo by Dan Vernon Photography / World Athletics
Out of the thirteen runners that crossed the 5km in the leading pack, the five Ethiopian and five Kenyan runners were all still there with one Israeli, one Ugandan and one German in their midst. It appeared to be turning into a competition between Kenya and Ethiopia in the final stages.
Peres Jepchirchir, photo by Dan Vernon Photography / World Athletics
Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir and Joyciline Jepkosgei did much of the front running with Jepchirchir a number of times glancing back and pointing at her feet as she seemed to be uncomfortable with the runners so dangerously close behind her. At some point, she even momentarily made an effort to break away, but relaxed when she saw that her efforts were not going to easily shed any of the remaining contenders in the pack.
In one of the sharp bends, the defending champion Netsanet Gudeta stumbled and fell and it became impossible for her to close the gap again. Further ahead, Jepkosgei and Ababel Yeshane tripped each other and fell leaving three runners at the front to battle for the podium places.
As the trio of Jepchirchir, Germany’s Melat Yisak Kejeta and Ethiopia’s Yalemserf Yehualaw continued to break away. It was clear that the three were going to share the podium places, but it was not easy to tell the order.
The WCHM medalists, photo by Dan Vernon Photography / World Athletics
With about 200m to go, Yehualaw was the first to sprint and Jepchirchir followed her closely. With the finishing tape on sight, Jepchirchir found a space to overtake and engaged a faster gear that Yehualaw could not react to.
Jepchirchir celebrated with a few meters to the finish line before cutting the tape with her hands raised up in victory. Her front running for much of the race earned her a deserving new women’s only world record of 1:05:16. Kejeta overtook Yehualaw to register a new European record of 1:05:18 to settle for the silver medal as Yehualaw won the bronze medal in a new personal best of 1:05:19. All the three women broke the earlier world record of 1:05:34.
