21 Oct MOKOKA SETS NATIONAL RECORD AT WORLD HALF-MARATHON CHAMPS
South African athletes delivered good performances across the board on Saturday, with 35-y
old Stephen Mokoka leading the national squad home at the World Half-Marathon Championships
in Gdynia, Poland.
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda won the race in 58:49.
Mokoka finished seventh in the men’s race in 59:36, slicing 15 seconds off his own SA record set in
Buenos Aires, Argentina last year.
Further back, Precious Mashele finished 15th in 1:00:24 and Collen Mulaudzi was 23rd in 1:00:51,
with both athletes setting personal bests as the squad handed the country a fifth placing in the
team competition.
Earlier, in the women’s contest, Glenrose Xaba finished 16th in a personal best of 1:09:26. Peres
Jepchirchir of Kenya took the win in 1:05:16, setting a world record in a women’s only race.
“Given the background of their preparations, we are very gratefull for the achieved performances
from all our athletes,” said Aleck Skhosana, the President of Athletics South Africa.
“The global pandemic caused by the Corona virus, has affected training of athletes and how and
when each of us returned to competition, and that has had a telling on all but you can’t blame
anyone for that.
“Of the four athletes who participated (three men, one woman) three finished in the top 20 and
all our athletes’ clocked personal best performances.”
