Valencia Half Marathon 2024: World Record for Yomif Kejelcha

Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha set a new world record for the half marathon on Sunday in Valencia, finishing in 57:30 and shaving a second off Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo’s previous record.

27-year-old Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha triumphed with a time of 57:30 at the Valencia Half Marathon this Sunday, October 27, 2024. In doing so, he broke the previous record set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who had held it for three years. A single second was enough to overshadow the performance achieved in Lisbon on November 21, 2021, where Kiplimo completed the half marathon in 57:31. After being the world indoor champion in the 3000m in 2016 and breaking the indoor mile world record in 2019, Yomif Kejelcha has now etched his name in the 21 km distance in 2024. Despite the rain and slippery conditions, the Ethiopian remained unfazed.

Valencia’s course, ranked among the “SuperHalfs” alongside Lisbon, is known for record-breaking performances. Right from the start of the race, Yomif Kejelcha set a strong pace. He led the race alongside Kenyans Daniel Mateiko and Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi until the 10 km mark, before pulling away after 15 km to secure victory. His competitors still achieved impressive times of 58:17 and 58:21 respectively.

The Valencia Half Marathon course, which is at sea level, has witnessed several records being shattered. With a time of 1:02:52, Letesenbet Gidey obliterated the previous women’s half marathon world record by 1:10. On October 24, 2021, the Ethiopian, who was also the record holder for the 10 km that same year, demonstrated the speed of this course. Each year, new records are anticipated in this event, both in marathon and half marathon distances.