Cheptai runs 30:35, Kimeli clocks 27:38

Cheptai and Kimeli break course records in Bengaluru

World half marathon bronze medallist Yalemzerf Yehualaw opened her 2022 season in spectacular style by claiming victory at the Total Energies Great Ethiopian Run 10km, taking 38 seconds off her own race record with 31:17.
Her winning time is the fastest 10km ever recorded at altitude, with Addis Ababa standing 2350m above sea level. Gemechu Dida won a close men's race in 28:24, just five seconds shy of the long-standing race record.
Yehualaw, who set the previous event record of 31:55 in 2019, came into the race eager to impress after having to withdraw from the Valencia 10km just two weeks ago. Today she ran a smart race, making her break from long-time leader Girmawit Gebregziabiher, the 2018 world U20 5000m bronze medallist, just past the 7.5km mark after cresting the hill near the National Palace.
At the 9km turn at Urael Church, Yehuawlaw accelerated dramatically and pulled clear of her rival, cruising to the finish line to win by 12 seconds from Gebregziabiher, who clocked 31:29. Double world U20 medallist Melknat Wedu, still just 17 years of age, finished third in 31:45.
The men&rsquo;s race was much closer, with six athletes still in contention in the final 500 metres. In the end it was Dida who took a surprise victory over former Dubai Marathon champion Getaneh Molla with Boki Diriba finishing third as two seconds separated the podium finishers.
The highest-placed non-Ethiopian athlete was Kenya&rsquo;s Cornelius Kibet Kemboi, who finished sixth in 28:39. A total of 17,600 runners finished the mass race.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h2>Leading results</h2>
Women 1 Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 31:17 2 Girmawit Gebrzihair (ETH) 31:29 3 Melknat Wedu (ETH) 31:45 4 Gete Alemayehu (ETH) 32:06 5 Bosena Mulate (ETH) 32:17 6 Hawi Feyisa (ETH) 32:18 7 Birtukan Wolde (ETH) 32:22 8 Anchinalu Desse (ETH) 32:38 9 Mebrat Gidey (ETH) 32:42 10 Ayenaddis Teshome (ETH) 32:49
Men 1 Gemechu Dida (ETH) 28:24 2 Getaneh Molla (ETH) 28:25 3 Boki Diriba (ETH) 28:26 4 Moges Tuemay (ETH) 28:31 5 Getachew Masresha (ETH) 28:33 6 Cornelius Kibet Kemboi (KEN) 28:39 7 Teresa Ggnakola (ETH) 28:43 8 Solomon Berihun (ETH) 28:55 9 Ashenafi Kiros (ETH) 28:59 10 Antenayehu Dagnachew (ETH) 29:05

World half marathon bronze medallist clocks 31:17, taking 38 seconds off the race record

Yehualaw breaks race record at Great Ethiopian Run

Norah Jeruto and Daniel Simiu Ebenyo secured a Kenyan double at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja &ndash; a World Athletics Label Road Race&nbsp;&ndash; held on Sunday (9) in the Spanish coastal city on a windy day, which somewhat hampered athletes' performances.
Ebenyo clocked a PB of&nbsp;26:58 to move to seventh on the world all-time list, while&nbsp;Jeruto ran&nbsp;30:35 for a three-second victory ahead of&nbsp;Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal. 
<h2>Fourth time lucky for Jeruto</h2>
Jeruto had claimed podium places on her three previous appearances in Valencia but the 26-year-old had never been the victor. The 2011 world U18 2000m steeplechase champion confirmed her role of hot favourite and dominated the race from the gun.
Paced by two male pacemakers, Mourad El Bannouri and Luis Agustin, the women&rsquo;s event opened at a steady 3:03/3:04 pace, with a leading quintet featuring Jeruto, her fellow Kenyan Gladys Chepkurui, Ethiopian debutante Anchinalu Dessie Genaneh, Norway&rsquo;s European cross country champion Grovdal and Sweden&rsquo;s&nbsp;Meraf Bahta, the silver medallist at the European event in Dublin.
The first casualty was&nbsp;Bahta, who began to lose ground just before the fifth kilometre, which was reached in 15:18 to dash any hope of the world record being broken. Grovdal&rsquo;s split of 15:19 was also outside Paula Radcliffe's European record pace.
The toughest section of the competition came between the fifth and seventh kilometres, because of an annoying headwind. Despite that barrier, Jeruto clearly pulled away from the lead pack, always following the pacemaker. Way back, Chepkurui was a lonesome second ahead of Genaneh, herself clear of Grovdal.
Over the closing kilometres the big questions were how close to 30 minutes Jeruto could be, and whether Grovdal would approach the European record. The 31-year-old Norwegian first moved into third place and by the eighth kilometre she had joined Chepkurui in second place, while Jeruto&rsquo;s successive 3:05 kilometres meant she was off the pace needed to break 30:00.
After leaving Chepkurui behind with some 1500m remaining, Grovdal never threatened Jeruto&rsquo;s win but she drastically closed the gap. Jeruto ran home in 30:35, three seconds ahead of Grovdal, whose 30:38 was her second-quickest ever time behind the 30:32 run she achieved in 2020, while Chepkurui completed a classy podium in 30:48. 
<h2>Ebenyo breezes under the 27-minute barrier</h2>
The men&rsquo;s start took place 15 minutes after the women&rsquo;s and kicked off at the scheduled 2:42/km cadence in the hunt for a sub-27:00 clocking. In the absence of an official pacemaker, it was Ethiopia&rsquo;s Chimdessa Debele Gudeta who took full command of the race, with only Kenya&rsquo;s Ebenyo for company. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61dac764923838de6d3d9e0e.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The leading duo went through the half way point in a promising 13:30, perfectly on schedule for the targeted time. By then, Jacob Krop travelled in third place, five seconds off the leaders, but also five seconds clear of his fellow Kenyan Boniface Kibiwott, while Great Britain&rsquo;s European U23 10,000m bronze medallist Emile Cairess was the first European thanks to a 13:51 split. At that point he was four seconds ahead of Switzerland&rsquo;s European record-holder Julien Wanders.
During the sixth kilometre, Ebenyo began to take a turn at the helm, and with some 20 minutes on the clock the 26-year-old Kenyan opened a gap on Gudeta, which grew over the following kilometres. Despite his lead, Ebenyo managed to maintain his 2:42 pace like a Swiss clock to reach the 9km checkpoint in 24:16, with a seven-second advantage over Gudeta. 
The 2020 San Silvestre Vallecana winner covered the closing kilometre like a man on a mission to finally cross the finish line in a huge lifetime best of 26:58.
Runner-up Gudeta also improved his career best to 27:10 and Krop was third in a PB of 27:23. 
Fast-finishing Cairess almost pipped Kibiwott on the line, with both athletes being given 27:44 &ndash; a 30-second improvement on his previous best for the Briton. 
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics 
<h3 align="left">Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Norah Jeruto (KEN) 30:35 2 Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal (NOR) 30:38 3 Gladys Chepkurui (KEN) 30:48 4 Anchinalu Dessie Genaneh (ETH) 31:01 5 Meraf Bahta (SWE) 31:22 6 Ftaw Zeray Bezabh (ETH) 32:07 7 Aratz Rodriguez (ESP) 32:19 8 Diana Chesang (KEN) 32:24 9 Meritxell Soler (ESP) 32:34 10 Mahlet Mulugeta Alemu (ETH) 32:45 
Men 1 Daniel Simiu Ebenyo (KEN) 26:58 2 Chimdessa Debele Gudeta (ETH) 27:10 3 Jacob Krop (KEN) 27:23 4 Boniface Kibiwott (KEN) 27:44 5 Emile Cairess (GBR) 27:44 6 Peter Maru (UGA) 27:58 7 Kelvin Kibiwott (KEN) 28:01 8 Carlos Mayo (ESP) 28:11 9 Samuel Barata (POR) 28:12 10 Mohammed Benyettou (FRA) 28:13

Norah Jeruto and Daniel Simiu Ebenyo secured success at the World Athletics Label Road Race.

Jeruto and Ebenyo take 10km honours in Valencia

Two years ago at the&nbsp;10K Valencia Ibercaja, Kenya&rsquo;s Rhonex Kipruto set the current men&rsquo;s world record with his impressive 26:24 performance. This year, organisers hoped to match that feat in the women&rsquo;s event at the World Athletics Label Road Race by bringing&nbsp;together some of the most outstanding distance athletes, including Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Kenya&rsquo;s Norah Jeruto.
Unfortunately Yehualaw, the main candidate to improve the 29:38 mark achieved by Bahrain&rsquo;s Kalkidan Gezahegne in Geneva last October, will be unable to compete in Valencia on Sunday (9) after testing positive for Covid-19 just before travelling on Thursday.&nbsp;Gezahegne's performance is awaiting ratification as the women's world 10km record set in a mixed race, with the current ratified mark the 29:43 run by Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017.
The 22-year-old Yehualaw holds the second-quickest ever time in the half marathon, courtesy of her 1:03:51 run in Valencia on 24 October, when she covered the opening 10km in 29:45. Her 3:01 per kilometre average pace suggested the world 10km record was well within the world half marathon bronze medallist's capabilities.
Jeruto will be in the&nbsp;Mediterranean city this Sunday, however, and&nbsp;is a classic contender in the event, having recorded times of 29:51 in January 2020 and 30:08 in October 2021. She boasts the world&rsquo;s third-quickest 3000m steeplechase time in history with a stunning 8:53.65 clocking to her credit and confirmed her top shape by winning the Italica cross country meeting on 21 November against some top competition.
The European record that belongs to Great Britain&rsquo;s Paula Radcliffe seems to be in jeopardy thanks to the presence of the newly-crowned European cross country champion Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal. In Dublin the 31-year-old Norwegian achieved at last the elusive gold medal she had chased for many years, having previously won one silver and four bronze medals.
Boosted by her recent success, Grovdal should improve her lifetime best of 30:32 set in 2020 to attack the European record of 30:21 set by Radcliffe in 2003, when it was a world record. Sweden&rsquo;s 2014 European 5000m champion Meraf Bahta, silver medallist in Dublin, will also be looking for a fast time after setting a national 5km record of 15:04 on 31 December in Barcelona. 
Grovdal and&nbsp;Bahta will likely be joined by Kenya&rsquo;s Gladys Chepkurui, who achieved a career best of 30:34 on the Spanish soil of Laredo last year, while the British pair of Charlotte Purdue and Samantha Harrison will try to break the 32-minute barrier for the first time.
Reportedly, Grovdal plans to go through the first half of the race in a moderate 15:15, to then pick up the pace during the second and more favourable closing 5km. 
<h2>Men target sub-27:00 performance</h2>
Although somewhat overshadowed by the women&rsquo;s event, the men&rsquo;s race is also shaping up well and is headed by the Kenyan trio of Daniel Simiu Ebenyo, Boniface Kibiwott and Jacob Krop. The former won the 2020 San Silvestre Vallecana, boasts a fine 27:12 10km lifetime best and lowered his 5000m clocking to 12:55.88 last summer, while Kibiwott timed 27:13 in Geneva for third place last October. As for Krop, he&rsquo;s a talented athlete who placed sixth at the World Athletics Championships in Doha over 5000m aged 18. He set his lifetime best of 27:30 in Valencia in 2020 and showed fine fitness during his last appearance in Herzogenaurach, where he won the 5km event in a PB of 13:06.
The Ethiopian response should come from the 17-year-old Chimdesa Debele, winner of the Lille 10km last November thanks to a career best of 27:16, while Switzerland&rsquo;s Julien Wanders and Spain&rsquo;s Carlos Mayo will be the leading Europeans. The Swiss athlete set the current European record of 27:13 here two years ago while Mayo, a 27:25.00 performer on the track, is targeting a national record to improve the mark which currently stands at 27:48.
In addition to the elite competition, there will be a mass race with 10,000 entrants divided into five waves as a security measure. Runners from 58 different countries will be looking to improve their PBs over one of the quickest circuits worldwide.
Weather forecasters predict a sunny but windy day on Sunday, with temperatures between 12 and 14&ordm;C by the time of the event.
A live stream of the action is set to be shown on the <a href="https://10kvalencia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event website</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC047e6_fcl0k2-O4fje6vLw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube channel</a>.
<div data-name="article-container">
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
</div>

Norah Jeruto and Daniel Simiu Ebenyo are among the athletes contesting the World Athletics Label Road Race.

Fast 10km times expected in Valencia

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Degitu Azimeraw and Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir captured commanding wins at the San Silvestre Vallecana, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, in Madrid on 31 December on a perfect night for running.
Azimeraw, contesting her first race since her 2:17:58 runner-up finish at the London Marathon in October, won in 30:26, the third-fastest winning time in the event&rsquo;s history. Katir, meanwhile, won in 27:45, becoming the first Spanish man in 18 years to win in Madrid.
Two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri had been due to compete but she tested positive for Covid-19 and had to pull out on the eve of the race.
The women&rsquo;s race started at a swift pace, the first kilometre being covered in 2:54 by Azimeraw, her fellow Ethiopian Haven Hailu and Kenya&rsquo;s Edinah Jebitok. Israel&rsquo;s Lonah Salpeter and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ayel Likina were a few strides behind, covering the first kilometre in 3:00.
The pace proved to be too quick for Hailu who lost ground before the third kilometre, covered in 8:46 by the lead group. Azemiraw and Jebitok went through the halfway point in 14:38, the quickest ever split and well on schedule to break the tough course record of 29:54. By then, Haven ran in third 13 seconds behind, Salpeter clocked 15:04 for Likina&rsquo;s 15:11.
Azimeraw kept pushing hard over the following kilometres, possibly fearful of Jebitok&rsquo;s finish, but she finally managed to leave the Kenyan behind just before the eighth kilometre at the beginning of the hardest section of the race.
Azimeraw&rsquo;s cadence dropped significantly in the closing kilometres, missing her chance of breaking 30 minutes, but she still won comfortably in 30:26. Jebitok, recent winner at the Venta de Ba&ntilde;os cross country meeting, was second in 30:44 in what was her first ever road race. Further back, the experienced Salpeter finished third in 31:14.
In contrast to the women&rsquo;s race, the opening downhill kilometre in the men&rsquo;s contest was covered in a relatively modest 2:46. It soon became clear that Burundi&rsquo;s Rodrigue Kwizera, the current leader in the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, had no plans to be a front-runner. Instead, Spanish sub-2:09 marathon runners Daniel Mateo and Yago Rojo were the early leaders.
The lead pack continued at a steady 2:45/2:46 kilometre pace to reach 3km in 8:17 and halfway in 13:46. By then the lead group was still large and led by 40-year-old Spaniard Ayad Lamdassem.
Katir progressively moved to the front and shortly after the seventh kilometre (19:17) made a first serious attack which could be matched only by Kwizera while Kenya&rsquo;s Shadrack Koech and Spain&rsquo;s Nassim Hassaous began their own battle for third place.
Once at the uphill section of the race, Katir took command and gradually opened up a gap over Kwizera. By the time Katir crossed the line in 27:45, he had built a 10-second advantage over Kwizera, who in turn was 10 seconds ahead of Hassaous.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to win such a prestigious race but I&rsquo;m not at my peak yet,&rdquo; said Katir, the Spanish record-holder at 1500m, 3000m and 5000m. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m now loading mileage and hope to be in top form in February when I would like to take part in several World Indoor Tour meets.&rdquo;
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Degitu Azemiraw (ETH) 30:26 2 Edinah Jebitok (KEN) 30:44 3 Lonah Salpeter (ISR) 31:14 4 Ayel Likina (ETH) 31:30 5 Haven Hailu (ETH) 31:42 6 Laura Priego (ESP) 32:59 7 Agueda Mu&ntilde;oz (ESP) 33:00 8 Clara Vi&ntilde;ar&aacute;s (ESP) 33:07 9 Blanca Fern&aacute;ndez (ESP) 33:31 10 Laura M&eacute;ndez (ESP) 33:41
Men 1 Mohamed Katir (ESP) 27:45 2 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 27:55 3 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 28:05 4 Shadrack Koech (KEN) 28:16 5 Ayad Lamdassem (ESP) 28:19 6 Daniel Mateo (ESP) 28:26 7 Yago Rojo (ESP) 28:27 8 Yohanes Chiappinelli (ITA) 28:29 9 Ra&uacute;l Celada (ESP) 28:33 10 Abdessadam Oukhefen (ESP) 28:45
&nbsp;
<h2>Seyaum and Worku secure Ethiopian double in Bolzano</h2>
Dawit Seyaum and Tadese Worku claimed an Ethiopian double at the Boclassic, a World Athletics Label road race, on a warm Friday afternoon (31) in Bolzano.
Seyaum beat steeplechase specialist Norah Jeruto in 15:22, the fastest ever winning time in the women&rsquo;s 5km at Bolzano. With Worku&rsquo;s 28:18 victory, meanwhile, it means eight of the past 10 men&rsquo;s races have been won by an Ethiopian.
Jeruto and Seyaum set the early pace and went through the first lap in 3:55 with a one-second lead over Italy&rsquo;s Nadia Battocletti, who was the only runner able to keep up with the lead duo.
Seyaum and Jeruto increased their lead over Battocletti to seven seconds during the second lap and reached the end of that circuit in 7:45. Seyaum finally broke away from her Kenyan rival with 500 metres to go and held on to win in 15:11, breaking the 15:30 course record that was shared by Margaret Kipkemboi Chelimo and the late Agnes Tirop, for whom there was a minute of silence before the race.
Jeruto, who clocked the third fastest time in history in the 3000m steeplechase in Eugene with 8:53.55 last August and won the Diamond League final in Zurich last September, had to settle for second place with 15:24. Battocletti finished third in 15:55, becoming the first Italian woman since 2011 to make the Boclassic podium. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61d050b3e501b733bd5d62f3.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Tadese Worku in action in Bolzano (&copy; Dametto)
&nbsp;
Worku and Tamirat Tola took the lead during the second lap of the men&rsquo;s race and went through the second lap in 7:07 with a gap of four seconds over Britain&rsquo;s Thomas Mortimer and Italian twins Osama and Ala Zoghlami.
Worku, the world U20 3000m champion, stepped up his pace and went through the half-way point in 14:11 with a two-second lead over Tola. Worku continued to increase his lead and eventually crossed the finish line in 28:18. Tola, winner of this race in 2015 and 2018, held on for second place in 28:26.
&ldquo;I was not in my best form, but I am happy with my race,&rdquo; said Worku, who intends to compete in the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. &ldquo;I want to return next year to break the course record.&rdquo;
Mortimer finished third in 29:23. 20-year-old Italian middle-distance runner Dario De Caro took fourth place in 29:27, while Spanish marathon record-holder Hamid Ben Daoud completed the top five in 29:32.
After the 2020 edition was moved to an alternative route due to the pandemic, the Boclassic races this year returned to the usual picturesque course through the centre of Bolzano.
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (10km) 1 Tadese Worku (ETH) 28:18 2 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 28:26 3 Thomas Mortimer (GBR) 29:23 4 Dario De Caro (ITA) 29:27 5 Hamid Ben Daoud (ESP) 29:32
Women (5km) 1 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:22 2 Norah Jeruto (KEN) 15:24 3 Nadia Battocletti (ITA) 15:55 4 Diane Van Es (NED) 16:16 5 Bojana Bjeljac (SLO) 16:17

Azimeraw wins in 30:26, Katir clocks 27:45

Azimeraw and Katir end year on a high in Madrid

A look back at the key moments of 2021 in road running

2021 review: road running

Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Kalkidan Gezahegne won The Giants Geneva 10km on Sunday (3) in 29:38*, breaking the world record by five seconds.
The 30-year-old from Bahrain, contesting just the fourth road race of her career, went out fast. By the time she reached the half-way point in 14:46, she had a five-second lead over Kenyan duo Celliphine Chespol and Agnes Tirop, who last month set a women-only world record of 30:01 for the 10km distance.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dawit Seyaum also passed through half way inside 15 minutes, but she soon started to drop back. The challenge from Chespol and Tirop also gradually faded, leaving Gezahegne with a significant lead.
Gezahegne covered the second half in 14:51, crossing the finish line in 29:38 to take five seconds off Joyciline Jepkosgei&rsquo;s world record set in Prague in 2017. Tirop finished second in 30:20, eight seconds ahead of steeplechase specialist Chespol. Seyaum was further back in fourth, clocking 31:25.
In the men&rsquo;s race, world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie had fellow Kenyans Felix Kipkoech and Boniface Kibiwott for company as he passed through half way in 13:28. The pace increased in the second half, which was enough to break Kibiwott, leaving Kandie and Kipkoech to duel for the top spot.
Kandie, always a strong finisher, came through to take the victory in 26:51, finishing six seconds ahead of Kipkoech. Kibiwott held on for third in 27:13. In fourth, Pietro Riva set an Italian record of 28:06.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
&nbsp;
<h2>Chelimo and Kbrom take the spoils in Valencia</h2>
World 5000m silver medallist Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi and Norway&rsquo;s Zerei Kbrom took commanding victories at the 10km Valencia Ibercaja, a World Athletics Label race, on Sunday (3) in the Mediterranean Spanish city in ideal weather for running.
The 28-year-old Chelimo moved to equal third place on the world all-time list thanks to a 29:50 clocking &ndash; though just an hour or so later she had been bumped down to equal fourth on the list, following Kalkidan Gezahegne&rsquo;s world record in Geneva &ndash; while 35-year-old Kbrom managed a huge career best of 27:39.
Perfectly paced by Spain&rsquo;s Jos&eacute; Ignacio Jim&eacute;nez and Kenya&rsquo;s Elkana Kibet Kwambai, the women&rsquo;s race kicked off at the scheduled sub-3:00-kilometre pace in the hunt for the world record of 29:43 set by Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017. During the early stages Dorcas Kimeli, a 29:57 performer, stuck closest to the pacemakers with fellow Kenyans Chelimo, Norah Jeruto and Rosemary Wanjiru &ndash; who won in 29:50 here last year &ndash; all close by.
That leading group covered the early kilometres just outside the required pace to attack the world best but proved to be too quick for Kimeli and then for Wanjiru who lost ground shortly after the fourth kilometre which was reached in 11:53.
The pace stepped up in the fifth kilometre as Chelimo and Jeruto reached the half-way point in 14:48, well inside world record schedule. Shortly after, Jeruto, who turned 26 the day before, just couldn&rsquo;t live with the pace and from then on the race turned into a solo run for Chelimo.
Despite being accompanied by pacemakers until the end, Chelimo was unable to maintain her speed throughout the second half and she soon drifted off world record pace. An exhausted Chelimo reached the finish in 29:50 to obliterate her previous best of 30:57 set in Bolzano last December.
Jeruto, the world leader in the steeplechase this year, finished a distant runner-up in 30:08 while Sandrafelis Chebet came from behind to complete a Kenyan podium sweep in 30:45.
&ldquo;The race was good,&rdquo; said Chelimo. &ldquo;I missed out on the world record, but at least I bettered my career best so I&rsquo;m very satisfied.&rdquo;
Without any pacemakers, the men&rsquo;s race opened at an even 2:45-per-kilometre pace with a lead trio comprising Collins Koros, fellow Kenyan Ronald Kipotrich Kirui and eventual winner Kbrom, who clocked 1:00.07 at the Copenhagen Half Marathon two weeks ago. The lead pack reached halfway in 13:45 before Koros broke away to open a sizeable margin on Kbrom while Kirui ran alone in third.
When everything looked set to go in Koros&rsquo;s favour, Kbrom reemerged during the final kilometre to pass the Kenyan and win in a lifetime best of 27:39, improving Jakob Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s Norwegian record by 15 seconds.
Koros settled for second in 27:41 while Kirui also finished inside 28 minutes (27:56).
&ldquo;I came to Valencia to break my PB and I managed to do so,&rdquo; said a delighted Kbrom. &ldquo;I also won the race, so I can&rsquo;t ask for more. I&rsquo;m grateful to my coach, manager and the organisers.&rdquo;
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Kumela breaks Kosice course record</h2>
Ayantu Kumela led an Ethiopian sweep of the women&rsquo;s podium places at the Kosice Peace Marathon on Sunday (3), winning the World Athletics Label road race in a course record of 2:24:35.
In a relatively close race at Europe's oldest marathon, Kumela&rsquo;s compatriots Shegau Maeregu and Dinknesh Mekash also finished inside the previous course record.
The men&rsquo;s race was similarly close as 2017 Kosice winner Reuben Kerio triumphed in 2:07:18, just 17 seconds shy of the course record, with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Hiribo Shano (2:07:48) and Kenya&rsquo;s Albert Kangogo (2:07:52) making up the rest of the podium.
Kenya&rsquo;s Milliam Ebongon, winner in Kosice in 2018, led the women&rsquo;s race in the early stages, but by the half-way point she had faded to fourth, almost a minute behind the Ethiopian trio of Kumela, Maeregu and Mekash.
The lead pack stuck together for most of the second half, but Mekash soon started to fade. With little more than a kilometre to go, Kumela started to edge ahead of Maeregu before going on to win in 2:24:35, smashing the previous course record of 2:26:01.
Maeregu (2:24:42) and Mekash (2:25:00) finished second and third respectively, while Maryna Damantsevich of Belarus overtook a tiring Ebongon in the closing stages to take fourth place in 2:32:22.
Kerio was part of a large lead pack in the early stages who set out in pursuit of the course record (2:07:01). Eight men remained in the group at the half-way stage reached in 1:03:44, but the pack was whittled down to five over the course of the next 10 kilometres.
Kerio ran at the back of the pack which was fronted by Uganda&rsquo;s Jackson Kiprop and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Deribe Robi, but he made a decisive move in the closing stages. With less than a mile to go, Kerio had shaken off the last of his opponents with Kangogo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Hiribo Shano battling it out for second and third place some 20 seconds behind.
Kerio went on to finish in 2:07:18 with Shano coming through for second place in 2:07:48 and Kangogo taking third in 2:07:52.

Olympic 10,000m silver medallist clocks 29:38

Gezahegne breaks world 10km record in Geneva, Chelimo goes sub-30 in Valencia, Kumela breaks Kosice course record

Kenya&rsquo;s Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the long-standing women-only world record for 10km*, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi set an outright world 5km record of 14:29* at the adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach on Sunday (12).
Tirop, the world 10,000m bronze medallist, put in a decisive surge with little more than two kilometres to go in the 10km, breaking away from fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui before eventually winning in 30:01.
Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m silver medallist, ran away from her opponents after the first kilometre with an incredible solo effort, winning the 5km in 14:29.
Tirop and Chepkirui were part of a five-woman lead pack during the early stages of the 10km and passed through 4km in 12:07. A couple of minutes later, Tirop and Chepkirui had broken away from the rest of their opponents, reaching the half-way point in 15:00 after coving the fifth kilometre in a swift 2:54.
Chepkirui then moved in front of her compatriot and tried to force the pace but was unsuccessful in making a break. The duo continued to run side by side for the best part of three kilometres, but Tirop started her long run for home with about six minutes to go.
Tirop, who won the senior world cross-country title as a teenager back in 2015, passed through 9km in 27:07 with a comfortable lead and was still comfortably inside world record pace. She didn&rsquo;t ease back for the final kilometre, though, and covered it in another 2:54 to reach the finish line in 30:01.
Chepkirui finished second in 30:17, also inside the previous mark of 30:29 set by Morocco&rsquo;s Asmae Leghzaoui back in 2002. Nancy Jelagat was third in 30:50.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy to have broken the world record,&rdquo; said Tirop. &ldquo;I felt the pace was good and Sheila assisted me a lot. The course was very good too.&rdquo;
Teferi, contesting the final race of the day, ensured the event ended on a high as she smashed the world 5km record with 14:29, winning by 25 seconds from Ethiopian teenager Melknat Wudu.
Six weeks after her sixth-place finish over 5000m at the Olympic Games, Teferi ran with the pack for the first kilometre, covered just inside three minutes. Then, sensing that the pace wasn&rsquo;t quite fast enough to challenge the world record, set off on her own and covered the second kilometre in 2:49.
By 3km, which she reached in about 8:43, Teferi had an eight-second lead over the chase pack. She continued to forge ahead, passing 4km in 12:07 and then ended with a 2:52 final kilometre to cross the finish line in 14:29.
Not only did it break the women-only world record of 14:44 set by Beatrice Chepkoech and the 14:43 outright world record set by Sifan Hassan in a mixed race, she also bettered the fastest 5km clocking in history of 14:32, set by Joyciline Jepkosgei before the distance became an official world record event.
&ldquo;I'm so happy,&rdquo; said Teferi. &ldquo;After the Olympics, I knew I was ready to go after this world record. I'm so happy.&rdquo;
Wudu, a double medallist at the World U20 Championships, took second place in 14:54, just ahead of compatriot Nigisti Haftu.
In the day&rsquo;s other races, world record-holder Rhonex Kipruto won the men&rsquo;s 10km in 26:43, the fourth-fastest time in history, while recently crowned world U20 champion Tadese Worku was second in 26:56, an Ethiopian U20 record.
Abel Kipchumba was a convincing winner of the men&rsquo;s half marathon in 58:48 with fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso Munyao taking second in 59:20, and Brenda Jepleting added to the Kenyan success with a dominant 1:06:52 victory in the women&rsquo;s race.
Jacob Krop won the men's 5km in 13:06, breaking away from two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris in the second half to finish three seconds ahead of the Ethiopian.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
<h3>Leading results</h3>
WOMEN
5km 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 14:29 2 Melknat Wudu (ETH) 14:54 3 Nigisti Haftu (ETH) 14:54 4 Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) 15:02 5 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:10
10km 1 Agnes Tirop (KEN) 30:01 2 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 30:17 3 Nancy Jelagat (KEN) 30:50 4 Betty Chepkemoi (KEN) 31:09 5 Dorcas Kimeli (KEN) 31:22
Half marathon 1 Brenda Jepleting (KEN) 1:06:52 2 Besu Sado (ETH) 1:08:15 3 Brillian Jepkorir (KEN) 1:08:28 4 Tgise Haileselase (ETH) 1:08:30 5 Irene Jepchumba (KEN) 1:09:02
 MEN
5km 1 Jacob Krop (KEN) 13:06 2 Muktar Edris (ETH) 13:09 3 Hosea Kiplangat (UGA) 13:13 4 Geoffrey Kimutai (KEN) 13:22 5 Daniel Kinyanjui (KEN) 13:27
10km 1 Rhonex Kipruto (KEN) 26:43 2 Tadese Worku (ETH) 26:56 3 Kennedy Kimutai (KEN) 27:09 4 Nicholas Kimeli (KEN) 27:22 5 Bayelign Teshager (ETH) 27:24
Half marathon 1 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 58:48 2 Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 59:20 3 Amos Kurgat Kibiwot (KEN) 59:34 4 Raymond Magut (KEN) 1:00:00 5 Phenus Kipleting (KEN) 1:00:08
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Chepkirui and Langat victorious in Vienna</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Vibian Chepkirui and Leonard Langat took top honours at the Vienna City Marathon, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (12) in what was the first major marathon worldwide with a strong international elite field and a mass race since the start of the corona pandemic.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Derara Hurisa actually crossed the line in first place in the men&rsquo;s race, but it transpired afterwards that his shoes were not compliant with the rules, so Langat was awarded the victory.
On a day when temperatures reached about 25C during the final part of the race, hopes of records faded during the second half of the race. Chepkirui, a marathon debutante, won in 2:24:29 while Langat clocked 2:09:25. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61407a97b474dc6c27b831e2.JPG" alt="" width="100%" /> Vibian Chepkirui wins the Vienna City Marathon (&copy; VCM / Leo Hagen)
&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s leaders were running well inside the course record pace of 2:22:12 for most of the race as Chepkirui and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Meseret Dinke and Gelete Burka passed the half way mark in 1:100:47.
Burka had recovered from a fall earlier in the race when she stumbled at a zebra crossing where a section was slightly elevated. However, neither she nor Dinke was able to hold on to Chepkirui, who had opened up a 33-second lead at 30km.
Although she slowed in the final section, Chepkirui&rsquo;s victory was never in doubt as she crossed the line in 2:24:29, winning by more than a minute. Dinke and Burka finished in 2:25:31 and 2:25:38 respectively. Little over a month after her 12th-place finish in the Olympic marathon, Fabienne Schlumpf of Switzerland was fourth in 2:26:31.
&ldquo;Had it not been for the heat, I would have run at least two minutes faster,&rdquo; said Chepkirui.
The leading group in the men&rsquo;s race passed the half-way mark in 1:03:41, and their 30km split of 1:30:33 still pointed towards a finishing time of about 2:07:30. But soon after, when the last pacemaker dropped out, the race became much slower and more tactical.
Japan&rsquo;s Kento Kukutani joined the leading group with Langat, Hurisa, Kenya&rsquo;s Samwel Kiptoo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Betesfa Getahun, then the pace increased again. Kukutani and Kiptoo were quickly dropped while the other three battled for victory. Hurisa had the best sprint and crossed the line first, but learned of his disqualification about 45 minutes later.
&ldquo;Of course I would have preferred to have broken the tape,&rdquo; said Langat, who achieved his first sub-2:10 performance. &ldquo;I had no clue about the disqualification until they told me. It was a good race, but the heat was a problem.&rdquo;
Organisers registered about 26,000 entries from 126 nations for the various events in Vienna across the weekend. 6000 of them were marathon runners. In the 10km race, Julia Mayer smashed the national record with a time of 32:54, becoming the first Austrian woman to break 33 minutes.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
WOMEN 1 Vibian Chepkirui (KEN) 2:24:29 2 Meseret Dinke (ETH) 2:25:31 3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:25:38 4 Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:26:31 5 Lucy Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:27:47 6 Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:28:49
MEN 1 Leonard Langat (KEN) 2:09:25 2 Betesfa Getahun (ETH) 2:09:42 3 Edwin Kosgei (KEN) 2:10:10 4 Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:10:37 5 Samwel Kiptoo (KEN) 2:11:16 6 Tadesse Abraham (SUI) 2:12:26

Kenya’s Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the long-standing women-only world record for 10km, clocking 30:01* to win at the adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach on Sunday (12).

Tirop and Teferi smash world records in Herzogenaurach

Kenya&rsquo;s Margaret Kipkemboi and Uganda&rsquo;s Oscar Chelimo won the 46th edition of the Boclassic Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy, a World Athletics Bronze Label race on Thursday (31).
The special edition of the classic New Year&rsquo;s Eve race was not held over the usual picturesque course through the centre of this northern Italian town, but instead over a 975.18m loop course in a safe driving centre park in Vadena, a city about 15 kilometres to the south, due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Kipkemboi, the world 5000m silver medallist, claimed the Boclassic title for the second consecutive year but this time over 10km, holding off half marathon specialist Dorcas Jepchirchir Tuitoek by one second in 30:43 in a close sprint finish. World-class 3000m steeplechase specialist Norah Tanui completed the Kenyan sweep, finishing third in 30:46.
A five-women group formed by Gloria Kite, Norah Tanui, Kipkemboi, Tuitoek and Janet Kisa ran the first two loops in 6:44, inside the pace to break the women-only 10km world record of 30:29 set by Asmae Leghzaoui in New York in 2002.&nbsp;
Kipkemboi, Tanui and Tuitoek pulled away from Kite and went through the fourth lap in 12:41. The pace then slowed, as the competition turned into a tactical race between the three Kenyans, who clocked 18:42 through six laps, 21:44 through seven, 24:47 through eight and 27:50 through nine.
Kipkemboi then pulled away in the waning stages to successfully defend her title. One year ago, she improved the traditional 5km course record to 15:30.
&ldquo;I am happy with my second consecutive win in Bolzano,&rdquo; Kipkemboi said. &ldquo;I tried my best to break the world record but it was very cold.&rdquo;
The men&rsquo;s race was held over 5km to mount an assault on Frenchman Jimmy Gressier&rsquo;s 13:18 European record set in Monaco in February. 
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Oscar Chelimo takes the 2020 Boclassic</div>
&nbsp;
An eight-men group which included two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris from Ethiopia, steeplechaser Albert Chemutai from Uganda, world U20 cross country silver medallist Tadese Worku, European 10,000m bronze medallist Yeman Crippa from Italy, Belgian Robin Hendrix and Chelimo went through two laps in 5:34 and the third lap in 8:10. The leaders then upped the pace to go through four laps in 10:50 before Chelimo broke away in the final metres to cross the finish line in 13:17.
&ldquo;I ran a wonderful race,&rdquo; the winner said. &ldquo;It was very cold, but I was well prepared, as I am used to training at 5 in the morning when it&rsquo;s cold.&nbsp;
Hendrix, an unheralded 25-year-old, was second in 13:19 to finish just shy of Gressier&rsquo;s European record.
&ldquo;I am happy with the race as I ran faster than my PB on the track,&rdquo; Hendrix said.
Moroccan Abdelati Iguider finished third in 13:20 sharing the same time as Crippa, who equalled Michele Gamba&rsquo;s Italian record. The Italian star crowned a strong season, in which he broke the national 5000m record with 13:02.26 in Ostrava and the national 3000m record with 7:38.27 in Rome. Crippa, who finished eighth in the World Championships 10,000m last year with 27:10.76, became the first runner to hold the national 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m since Franco Fava in 1977.
&ldquo;It was totally different from the past edition in the centre of Bolzano, but I thank organisers for putting together a great race,&rdquo; Crippa said. &ldquo;I tried my best until the end to break the European record. I am happy that 2020 is over and I hope 2021 will be a better year.&rdquo;
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics
LEADING RESULTS
Men (5km) 1 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 13:17 2 Robin Hendrix (BEL) 13:19 3 Abdelati Iguider (MAR) 13:20 4 Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITA) 13:20 5 Tadese Worku (ETH) 13:23 6 Muktar Edris (ETH) 13:24 7 Haile Telahun Bekele (ETH) 13:26 8 Yassin Bouih (ITA) 13:59 Women (10 km): 1 Margaret Kipkemboi Chelimo (KEN) 30:43 2 Dorcas Jepchirchir Tuitoek (KEN) 30:44 3 Norah Jeruto Tanui (KEN) 30:47 4 Gloria Kite (KEN) 32:27 5 Janet Kita (KEN) 33:04 6 Sofia Yaremchuk (UKR) 33:12 7 Giovanna Epis (ITA) 34:13 8 Rebecca Lonedo (ITA) 34:18 
<h3>Simiu and Yalemzerf confirm supremacy in Madrid</h3>
Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Simiu and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yalemzerf Yehualaw signed a successful farewell to 2020, taking overwhelming victories at the 56th San Silvestre Vallecana, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, in Madrid on Wednesday (31).
While 25-year-old Simiu got the better of Italy&rsquo;s late addition to the field Eyob Faniel in 27:41, 21-year-old Yehualaw beat Kenya&rsquo;s world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich by a massive 24 seconds, winning in a career best of 31:17.
On a windy and cold night with the thermometer reaching barely 9C, the men&rsquo;s race was headed in the early stages by Spanish marathon record-holder Ayad Lamdassem; setting a 2:48 rhythm, no more than six men managed to live with his pace: eventual winner Simiu, Faniel, Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, USA&rsquo;s Paul Chelimo, Spain&rsquo;s Ouassim Oumaiz and Mike Foppen of the Netherlands.
The leading group covered the opening 2.5km lap in 6:53, then just before the halfway point (13:58) Simiu increased the pace and opened a sizeable lead with incredible ease over the rest of group. The long-legged Kenyan pushed again on the third lap with a 6:46 split and built a 15-second margin on Faniel, himself two seconds ahead of Chelimo and Foppen. 
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Daniel Simiu wins in Madrid</div>
&nbsp;
Despite the annoying win,d Simiu kept his speed over the closing lap and romped home in 27:41 while Faniel, a 2:07:19 marathon runner, improved his PB by two seconds with 28:08. The fight for the third place on the podium was thrilling as Foppen pushed Olympic silver medallist Chelimo to the line. Chelimo eventually took third in 28:13 to Foppen&rsquo;s 28:14, a massive lifetime best for him.
&ldquo;It was my first ever race in Spain,&rdquo; said Simiu. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m satisfied, I would have liked to run faster but weather conditions were not the best; my goal is to make the Kenyan team for the Tokyo Olympics in the 10,000m.&rdquo;
Held as a separate race, the women&rsquo;s contest kicked off with a 3:14 opening kilometre, led by Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich with only Yehualaw and Sweden&rsquo;s Sarah Lahti for company. While the latter began to lose ground after the third kilometre, reached in 9:37, the Ethiopian ace moved to the front with the clock reading 15:00. Yehualaw began to open up a sizeable lead, going through half way in 15:25, and Chepngetich simply could not live with the pace.
With one lap left, the diminutive Ethiopian had built a 33-second advantage on her Kenyan rival, herself well clear of Spain&rsquo;s Carolina Robles and French duo Alessia Zarbo and Manon Trapp, only 19 and 20 years of age respectively.
Yehualaw maintained her advantage on the final lap and crossed the finish line in 31:17 to improve on her previous PB of 31:55, while Chepngetich had to settle for the runner-up spot for the second year in a row, timed at 31:50. In the battle for third place, Zarbo made up lots of ground in the closing stages to get the better of Robles and Trapp in a PB of 33:00.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very grateful for having been invited to compete at such an important race and happy for keeping the Ethiopian dominance,&rdquo; said Yehualaw. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still very young but I&rsquo;ll be aiming for a spot for the Olympics in the 10,000m.&rdquo;
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
LEADING RESULTS 
Men 1 Daniel Simiyu (KEN) 27:41 2 Eyob Faniel (ITA) 28:08 3 Paul Chelimo (USA) 28:13 4 Mike Foppen (NED) 28:14 5 Ouassim Oumaiz (ESP) 28:35
Women 1 Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 31:17 2 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 31:50 3 Alessia Zarbo (FRA) 33:00 4 Carolina Robles (ESP) 33:07 5 Manon Trapp (FRA) 33:10 
<h3>Dibaba and Obiri claim victories in Barcelona</h3>
Genzebe Dibaba and Hellen Obiri brought an end to their 2020 seasons with impressive performances at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona on Thursday (31), producing strong victories over 5km and 10km, respectively.
The event was billed as an assault on the world 5km record of 14:44 set by Sifan Hassan last year in Monaco and the 29:43 10km mark set by Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2017. Those attacks never quite materialised, but both of the main protagonists ran aggressively, giving chase early on.
Dibaba was ahead of record pace through the first two kilometres, clocking 5:52, but a 3:06 third kilometre, to reach three kilometres in 8:58, effectively put the record out of reach. She forged on to cross the line in 15:00 to close out the year as the world leader.
In the 10km, Obiri's ambitions came to an abrupt end just two minutes into the race when she was tripped up by a runner trying to pass her on a turn. She hit the ground hard but soon found herself running alone after her pacesetter Carlos Castillejo dropped out, injured, just a few minutes later. She remained a solitary figure for the rest of the race, churning out the remaining kilometres alone en route to a 30:53 finish, the fastest of her career.
On the men's side, Jimmy Gressier of France held off Santiago Catrofe over the final metres to win the 5km by a second in 13:39. Frenchman Morhad Amdouni, the European 10,000m champion, won the 10km in 27:42 over Carlos Mayo Nieto, who clocked 28:06. Gressier pulled off a strong showing, doubling back from his 5km victory to finish third in the 10km, clocking 28:13.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Kenya’s Margaret Kipkemboi and Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo won the 46th edition of the Boclassic Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy, a World Athletics Bronze Label race on Thursday (31).

New Year's road round-up: Kipkemboi and Chelimo win in Bolzano, Dibaba and Obiri victorious in Barcelona

The 56th edition of the San Silvestre Vallecana will be held, as is tradition, on New Year&rsquo;s Eve in Madrid, but this year there have been some significant changes to the World Athletics Gold Label road race.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers have been forced to design a new circuit and so the race won&rsquo;t start alongside Real Madrid&rsquo;s famous Santiago Bernabeu stadium, nor will it finish in the stadium of another Spanish first division football club, Rayo Vallecano. Instead, competitors will have to cover four laps of a flat 2.5km circuit, meaning &ndash; unlike previous years when the race was held on a slightly downhill course &ndash; performances will be record-eligible.
The mass race, which often attracts about 40,000 runners, has been cancelled and only the elite contests will be held with separate starts for men and women.
The showdown between Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich in the women&rsquo;s race promises to be one of the highlights of the evening.
Yehualaw is in the form of her life. After taking bronze at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020, the 21-year-old Ethiopian stormed to a 1:04:46 victory over the same distance in New Delhi in late November, beating Chepngetich in the process. Yehualaw now sits second on the world all-time list behind compatriot Ababel Yeshaneh, while Chepngetich, the world marathon champion, emerged from New Delhi with a lifetime best of 1:05:06.
Yehualaw&rsquo;s fastest clocking in a standalone 10km race is 31:55, recorded more than a year ago at altitude in Addis Ababa. It&rsquo;s worth noting, however, that she recorded 30:49 and 30:43 for the two 10km sections in New Delhi.
Chepngetich, meanwhile, has an official PB of 31:12 and she recorded 30:57 on Madrid&rsquo;s downhill course last year. She, too, passed through the first 10km in New Delhi in 30:49.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Likina Amebaw, a 32:55 performer over 10km, is expected to battle with top Spaniards Luc&iacute;a Rodr&iacute;guez and Irene S&aacute;nchez-Escribano in the hunt for a place on the podium.
The men&rsquo;s race features Olympic 5000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo. Having finished fourth and second at the World Athletics Cross Country Permit meetings in Elgoibar and Seville respectively in January, the 30-year-old US distance runner will compete in Spain for the third time this year.
His most recent outing was a cross-country race in November in Terre Haute where he finished second. His last completed race before that was the 3000m at the US Indoor Championships, which he won. Chelimo&rsquo;s main aim in Madrid will be to break the US 10km record of 27:48, co-held by Bernard Lagat and Mark Nenow. The continental record of 27:41, held by Mexico&rsquo;s Arturo Barrios, could also be within his sights.
Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Simiu Ebenyo appears to be the most in-form athlete heading into the race. The 25-year-old set a big 10km PB of 27:18 in Berlin in September to move to fourth on this season&rsquo;s list.
Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, who finished ninth at the 2019 World Cross in Aarhus, is also one to watch. He has recently enjoyed a one-month training stint in Tenerife in the company of Italian 3000m and 5000m record-holder Yemaneberhan Crippa.
Many of the top Spaniards will be in Madrid, headed by Ouassim Oumaiz, Toni Abad&iacute;a, Javier Guerra, Fernando Carro, Ayad Lamdassem and Yago Rojo. Oumaiz improved to 13:13.14 over 5000m this summer, Abad&iacute;a holds the national 10km record at 27:48, Guerra is fresh from a 1:01:21 PB at the Valencia Half Marathon, European steeplechase silver medallist Carro clocked 27:46 last month at a downhill event in Alcobendas, 39-year-old Lamdassem is the newly-minted Spanish marathon record-holder with a 2:06:35 clocking in Valencia, and Rojo is a newcomer to the elite, having run under 2:10 on his marathon debut earlier this month.
Mike Foppen of the Netherlands has enjoyed a strong 2020 campaign, breaking the national 5000m record with 13:13.06 in Monaco and clocking a 10,000m PB of 27:59.10 in Lieden. He should be a factor in Madrid, while compatriot Richard Douma (28:08), Sweden&rsquo;s David Nilsson (28:12) and Israel&rsquo;s Maru Teferi (28:18) complete the international line-up.
Weather forecasters predict a cold night (5C) by the time of the event and a high likelihood of rain.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

The 56th edition of the San Silvestre Vallecana will be held, as is tradition, on New Year’s Eve in Madrid, but this year there have been some significant changes to the World Athletics Gold Label road race.

Yehualaw and Simiu poised to strike in Madrid

Italy&rsquo;s 2017 world bronze medallist Antonella Palmisano produced the fastest clocking for 18 years in the 10km race walk when winning at Italy&rsquo;s Endurance Festival Championships in Modena on Sunday (18) in 41:28.
Palmisano was contesting her third race in 15 days, following a world-leading 21:00.0 over 5000m in Trivio on 3 October and her 1:28:40 victory over 20km in Podebrady on 10 October.
The 29-year-old showed no signs of fatigue in Modena, though, and after a steady opening kilometre of 4:13 she picked up the pace and reached the half-way point in 20:50. She maintained that tempo for a few more kilometres and managed to move up a gear in the latter stages, covering the final kilometre in 4:04 to cross the finish line in 41:28.
Her winning time took 10 seconds off the previous Italian record, set 23 years ago by 1996 Olympic fourth-place finisher Rossella Giordano. 1993 world silver medallist Ileana Salvador had clocked 41:30 27 years ago but her time wasn&rsquo;t officially recognised as an Italian record. Palmisano&rsquo;s performance, however, is an improvement on both of those marks and takes her to sixth on the world all-time list. The last woman to cover the distance in a faster time was Norway&rsquo;s Kjersti Tysse-Playzer, who clocked 41:16 in 2002. 
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 &ldquo;Today I wanted to have fun,&rdquo; said Palmisano, whose previous best for the distance was 42:50, although she had also clocked 41:57.29 for 10,000m on the track. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the first time I&rsquo;ve done three races so close together, but I didn&rsquo;t feel the fatigue from Podebrady in my legs. It wasn&rsquo;t easy in the final two or three kilometres, but I pushed hard.&rdquo;
Nicole Colombi, who represented Italy at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, was second in 43:55. Francesco Fortunato won the men&rsquo;s race in 39:06, moving him to third on the Italian all-time list.
<h3> Gebrhiwet wins in Trieste</h3>
Elsewhere in Italy, almost exactly a year to the day since he last raced, Ethiopia's Olympic bronze medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet enjoyed a comfortable victory over 10km at the Corsa dei Castelli in Trieste.
The challenging course begins at Miramare Castle and finishes at San Giusto Castle, crossing the Porto Vecchio with an uphill final kilometre.
Gebrhiwet, a world medallist over 5000m in 2013 and 2015, finished in 29:49 to win by 11 seconds from compatriot Bayelign Teshager. Italy's Yassine Rachik, who hadn't raced since last year's World Championships due to injury, was third in 30:23.
<h3> Grovdal breaks Norwegian 10km record</h3>
Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal broke her own national 10km record at the Hytteplanmila 10km in Hole, Norway, on Saturday (17).
The 30-year-old clocked 30:32 to smash the previous mark of 31:25 she set at this race in 2017. The performance lifted the continental cross-country standout to fourth on the 2020 world list and third all-time among Europeans, trailing just Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (30:05) and Paula Radcliffe (30:21).
Grovdal has raced little this season but she was on a tear from the gun to make this appearance count, reaching three kilometres in 9:10 and the midway point in 15:17 to finish 31st in the race overall among the 90 competitors.
Vienna S&oslash;yland Dahle was a distant second in 33:18.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who made his debut at the distance with a 27:54 course record in this race last year, wasn't really a factor in his return.
Opening with a modest 2:59 first kilometre, he worked his way back to the leaders after two kilometres and briefly took the lead at the four kilometre point. Zerei Mezngi then upped the pace after five kilometres with Ingebrigtsen and his brother Filip struggling to maintain contact. Mezngi extended his lead to six seconds at six kilometres and forged on largely unchallenged to win in 28:20. Narve Gilje Nordas was second in 28:28, while Filip Ingebrigtsen drifted back to finish sixth in 29:03.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who remained in contact through seven kilometres, slowed to a jog over the waning stages and eventually finished in 35:05.
Spanish mountain, trail and ultramarathon runner and ski mountaineer Kilian Jornet ran with the leaders early on, and finished 18th in 29:59.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal broke her own national 10km record at the Hytteplanmila 10km in Hole, Norway, on Saturday (17).

Palmisano breaks Italian 10km race walk record in Modena, Grovdal clocks 30:32 Norwegian 10km record in Hole

When Joshua Cheptegei made history to wipe 1.99 seconds from Kenenisa Bekele’s world 5000m record in Monaco in August, it generated an outpouring of ecstasy in a mild-mannered Dutchman situated some 9000 kilometres away in Uganda.