Kenya's Rhonex Kipruto sets 10km world record in Valencia

Kenya's Rhonex Kipruto smashed the world record at the 10 Km Valencia Ibercaja clocking 26.24 minutes to win the World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday.

His half-way split of 13.18 minutes was also an improvement on the 5km world record. Despite running on his own for the entire second half, Kipruto increased his pace and clocked 2.37 minutes for the sixth kilometre. After a slightly slower seventh kilometre of 2.40 minutes, the world U20 10,000m champion ramped up his speed again for the eighth kilometre, which he covered in 2.36-minute.

Having passed 8 km in 20.11, it became clear that Kipruto was on course to improve Joshua Cheptegei's yet-to-be ratified world record of 26.38, set just six weeks ago in the same city, albeit on a different course.

Closing kilometres of 2.38 and 2.35 secured the world record for the 20-year-old Kenyan, who covered the two halves in 13.18 and an impressive 13.06. Only the legendary Ethiopian duo Kenenisa Bekele (26:17.53) and Haile Gebrselassie (26:22.75) have recorded faster times on the track, while Paul Tergat holds the Kenyan 10,000m record at 26:27:85.

"I'm over the moon. When I clocked 26:46 in Prague in 2018, I set myself the target of breaking the world 10km record and today my dream came true. I'm very thankful to the orgsers for relying on me to set the record and to the city and the people of Valencia for treating me so well and for their support throughout the race," said an ecstatic Kipruto, who is coached by Colm O'Connell.

( With inputs from ANI )