The pre race favourite, former Africa junior 10,000m and 5000m champion Mathew Kisorio was third by returning 1:01.57.8.PHOTO/Courtesy
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 3 – Former African junior double distance champion Mathew Kisorio was upset in the sixth Sotokoto Half Marathon as Leonard Langat and Ruth Chepng’etich dominated the race held on Sunday.
Kisorio, who was tipped favourite to win the men’s race, settled third in 1:01.57.8 behind second placed Peter Wambua (1:01.57.3).
“I am preparing for Valencia Half Marathon which is slated for October and I want to improve from my third finish last year. Running at Sotokoto was a good test and iam happy for the third finish,” Kisorio, the 5000m and 10,000m Africa Junior Champion in 2007 said after the race.
Langat, the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon second finisher, stopped the timer at1:01.56 to be crowned the new champion as the event made a return after a two-year absence.
The 2009 Sotokoto half marathon runners up Nicholas Kamakya was placed seventh in 1:02.18.2 as the 2013 Sao Paulo international road race in Brazil second place finisher Joseph Aperumoi was tenth in 1:05.08.5.
Ngong based Chepng’etich fresh from winning the Makara Half marathon in Algeria breasted the tape in 1:12.41.
Immaculate Chebet was second by clocking 1:12.59 ahead of third placed Sheila Chepkogei in 1:14.04 to complete the last podium finish place.
Lydia Bochere, a 15-year-old Form One student from Nduru Girls Secondary School, improved from her third placing in 2013 to win the women’s 5km race.
The Nyamira based Sakwa Sports Club entered three runners in the elite 21km race in preparation for road races in the United States of America as from August.
The athletes coached by Fredrick Rioba an Athletics Kenya Nairobi region technical official are Bernard Nyandiga, Frank Kamanda and Eliud Orina Mose who are shaping up for the events in the half marathon.
