Real prospect of a 10km road race world record in Durban

Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw runs.

Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the women's 10km road race world record holder, will be in action in Durban. Photo: Supplied

Published May 27, 2023

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Cape Town - There is a real prospect of a women's 10km road race world record when Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw competes in the Absa Run Your City Series event in Durban next month.

Yehualaw’s record stands at 29:14 and was set in Spain in 2022. She became the first woman in history to dip under the 29:30 and 29:20 barriers on the roads.

Earlier this year, Yehualaw came within a whisker of her world record in Valencia, Spain. She crossed the finish line at 29:18 after a bizarre start.

Athletes jostling for position seemed to have triggered a fall, impacting many contenders. Yehualaw was able to get around the disruption, but her first 5K (14:47) was well below the world record pace. She closed the final 5K in 14:31, but it wasn’t enough, as she crossed the finish line at 29:18.

The Ethiopian will no doubt enjoy the fast and flat course. There is a strong possibility that the fastest-ever time set by a woman on South African and African soil will be set in Durban at the 10K event.

The event promoter and founder of the Absa Run Your City Series, Michael Meyer has been crying out for a world record in the series and his dream could soon be realised.

Yehualaw is the fastest-ever woman to line up in the series, and confirms its standing as a truly international series which pits the best of South Africa against the best of Africa and the world.

“We hope that Yalemzerf’s participation will encourage thousands of runners to enter the Absa Durban 10K," said Meyer.

"It’s not often that we as road runners get to line up with the world record holder on the start line. That’s the beauty and magic of road running.

“Her participation is massive news for the series and for SA road running.

"Not only is Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s entry the highest point for the series to date, but it’s also a fantastic accomplishment for South African sport.

“We’ve seen the level of South African middle-distance running improve immensely over the last couple of years. This can be attributed to the fact that SA’s elites are being given more opportunities to race against the world’s best athletes on home soil.

"With a world record behind her name, lovers of the sport will see the world’s best female runner compete in Durban. We can’t wait to welcome Yalemzerf to the start line, ready to make history.”

Last October, Yehualaw won the London Marathon. Presently she sits second on the world all-time list for women's half marathon runners.

She is the latest in a string of international athletes who are world champions, Olympic champions, or world record holders to feature in the series. Some of the international stars include Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei (2 x world record holder, 2 x world champion and 1 x Olympic champion) and Kenyan Daniel Ebenyo (Commonwealth and African Championships silver medalist).

@Herman_Gibbs

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