Runner smashes half-marathon record, heads straight to the football

Ethiopian runner Yomif Kejelcha shattered the half-marathon world record by finishing the Media Maratón Ciudad de Buenos Aires in Argentina in an astonishing 56 minutes and 51 seconds. This time is equivalent to running four consecutive parkruns in just 13 minutes and 28 seconds each. Kejelcha's mark, currently pending ratification by World Athletics, eclipsed the previous record set by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo by 29 seconds.

The Ethiopian athlete's performance came under favorable conditions of 6 degrees Celsius and a light breeze at the World Athletics Label road race. Compeers Tadese Worku and Bereket Nega of Ethiopia rounded out the podium with times of 59:20 and 1:00:20 respectively.

Kejelcha expressed his elation, stating he felt no tiredness despite traveling a long distance and being fatigued initially. He had planned a conservative start but decided to give his all once he felt better. He also mentioned his gratitude for the invitation to watch the River Plate-Vélez football match at the Estadio Monumental, though the match ended in a 2-2 draw for the Argentine Primera División teams.

The race saw Kejelcha maintain an average pace of 2 minutes and 42 seconds per kilometer, setting a 5km parkrun time of 13 minutes and 28 seconds. He negative split the race, running the second half faster than the first, with splits of 13:45, 13:34, 13:22, and 13:23 for the respective 5km segments. Notably, Kejelcha held a 29-second pace throughout the race, showcasing his remarkable stamina.