Tegla Loroupe wins her third consecutive world half marathon title in Palermo (© Getty Images - Allsport)
Should Paula Radcliffe live up to her status as favourite for the World Half Marathon title, she will join the great Tegla Loroupe as the only three-time winner of this event.
Her closest rivals - Susan Chepkemei and Berhane Adere - have each won medals at the past two championships and could well do so again. Mizuki Noguchi, second in the World Championships marathon and four times a silver medallist in the world half marathon – is another set to climb the all-time medal chart after Vilamoura.
The two most bemedalled men, Tesfaye Jifar and Hendrik Ramaala, are not entered this time.
Most medals won in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
J = Junior Race; T = Team
MEN
7 Tesfaye Jifar ETH 99-3, 2T; 2000-3, 2T; 2001-2, 1T; 2002-3T
5 Hendrick Ramaala RSA 97-2T; 98-2, 1T; 99-2, 1T
4 Melk Mothuli RSA 92-2J, 3JT; 93-1J, 1JT
Moses Tanui KEN 95-1, 1T; 97-2, 1T
Shem Kororia KEN 94-1T; 97-1, 1T; 98-2T
Paul Tergat KEN 99-1, 3T; 2000-1, 1T
3 Carl Thackery GBR 92-2T; 93-3, 3T
Isaac Radebe RSA 92-3JT; 93-3J, 1JT
Khalid Skah MAR 94-1, 3T; 98-3
Tesfaye Tola ETH 97-3T; 99-2T; 2001-1T
John Gwako KEN 98-2T; 2000-1T; 2001-2T
John Yuda TAN 2001-3, 3T; 2002-3
WOMEN
8 Lidia Simon ROM 96-2, 1T; 97-3, 1T; 98-3, 2T; 2000-3, 1T
Tegla Loroupe KEN 93-3; 97-1, 2T; 98-1, 1T; 99-1, 1T; 2002-1T
Cristina Pomacu ROM 95-2, 1T; 96-1T; 97-2, 1T; 98-2T; 2000-1T
6 Anuta Catuna ROM 92-3T; 93-1T; 94-3, 1T; 95-3, 1T
Aura Buia ROM 92-3T; 95-1T; 96-3, 1T; 97-1T; 98-2T
5 Iulia Negura/Olteanu ROM 92-3T; 93-1T; 94-2, 1T; 95-1T
Susan Chepkemei KEN 2000-2; 2001-2, 1T; 2002-2, 1T
4 Nuta Olaru ROM 96-1T; 97-1T; 98-2T; 2000-1T
Mizuki Noguchi JPN 99-2, 2T; 2000-2T; 2001-2T
Joyce Chepchumba KEN 97-2T; 98-1T; 99-1T; 2001-1T
Berhane Adere ETH 2001-3, 3T; 2002-1, 3T
3 Mari Tanigawa JPN 93-2, 2T; 94-3T
Valentina Yegorova RUS 95-1, 2T; 99-3T
Adriana Barbu ROM 92-3T; 93-1T; 94-1T