Yalemzerf Yehualaw runs 1:03:44, breaks half-marathon world record in Northern Ireland

Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw won the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Larne, Northern Ireland on Sunday, taking 18 seconds of the previous world record of 1:04.02 set by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich last April in Istanbul. Yehualaw is now the first woman to run under 64 minutes in the half-marathon.

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Yalemzerf Yehualaw runs 63:43 min to break the Women’s half marathon World Record at the @CoastHalf ?

? Keith McClure pic.twitter.com/MvcFa6ehIv

— NN Running Team (@NNRunningTeam) August 29, 2021

RELATED: Ruth Chepngetich runs 1:04:02, breaks half-marathon world record in Istanbul

The Ethiopian athlete dominated the race, beating the next-best finisher, 19-year-old Jane Nyaboke of Kenya, by six minutes. Nyaboke finished in 1:09:45, and Rose Harvey of the U.K. finished third in 1:10:29. Yalenzerf was second place in Chepngetich’s record-setting race, and described Sunday’s performance in a BBC interview as “a dream come true.”

“I have tried twice before to break the world record but it didn’t happen, but I’m so happy it happened today in Larne,” she said.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTKUxHCjDpx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This performance was an excellent comeback for Yehualaw, after finishing a disappointing fourth place in the 10,000m at the Ethiopian Olympic trials, missing out on a spot on the Olympic team. She also finished third at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia last October, making Sunday’s victory even sweeter.

Before today, Jemal Yimer had never crossed the finish line first in a half marathon despite running 58:33, 59:00, 59:09, 59:14, and 59:45.

He finally won one today in Houston in 59:25.https://t.co/NxDrbZrUWh pic.twitter.com/TG27OaapFn

— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) January 19, 2020

Fellow Ethiopian runner Jemal Yimer won an extremely close men’s race in 1:00:30, mere steps ahead of second-place finisher and fellow countryman, Tesfahun Akalnew who crossed the line in 1:00:31 and Kenya’s Shadrack Kimining, who placed third in 1:00:32. Fourth-place finisher Marc Scott of the U.K. was also close behind the leader and finished in 1:00:35.

RELATED: Kibiwott Kandie smashes half-marathon world record in Valencia, runs 57:32

Yehualaw’s record has yet to be ratified by World Athletics.