Kibiwott Kandie smashed the half marathon world record on Sunday at the Valencia Half Marathon.
Kandie, who finished second at the world half marathon championships in Gdynia in October but was virtually an unknown only a year ago, finished the race in 57 minutes and 32 seconds, knocking 29 seconds from the previous record of 58:01 set by compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in 2019.
The top four men all ran under the previous world best, with Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda finishing second in 57:37, Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto third in 57:49 and Kenyan Alexander Mutiso taking fourth place in 57:59.
Kandie, 24, led the chasing pack, which included reigning world champion Kiplimo, through the 15-kilometre mark in 41:10.
The pair traded the lead over the next six km before Kandie made the decisive move, to finish more than a minute off his previous personal best of 58:37.
Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba won the women’s race in 1:05:18, setting the fastest time for a debut over the distance.