Former World Half Marathon record holder Kibiwott Kandie made an impression at the 2023 Valencia Half Marathon with a stunning win on Sunday.
Kandie clocked the fourth-fastest time in history, 57:40, to win the race convincingly. Making his first appearance over the distance this year, Kandie achieved his third win in Valencia to deny some top-class competition.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha was second in a national record of 57:41 and he was followed over the finish line by his compatriots Hagos Gebrhiwet, who matched Kejelcha’s time, and Selemon Barega, who ran 57:50 in the second half marathon of his career.
After his dominant win, Kandie will walk away with a handsome amount of money. He suffered an injury setback earlier this year and missed out on the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary and his win in Valencia is a great comeback for him.
According to race organisers, male athletes who run under 58:30 to win the race will be awarded approximately Ksh5 million. This means Kandie will have the honour of pocketing approximately Ksh5 million due to his hard work.
Second-place finishers in the category will walk away with approximately Ksh3 million while the third athlete will pocket approximately Ksh2 million.
Meanwhile, the women’s race saw Margaret Chelimo dip under 1:05 for the first time to win in a Personal Best time of 1:04:46 ahead of her compatriots Irine Cheptai, who clocked 1:04:53, and Janet Chepngetich, who ran 1:05:15.
Chelimo will also pocket approximately Ksh5 million since she clocked under 65:00 to win the race. In that category, Cheptai will walk away with approximately Ksh3 million for finishing second while Chepngetich will bag approximately Ksh2 million for finishing third.
