Kenyan Vedic Kipkoech won bronze in today’s 10km Valencia Ibercaja Road Race in Spain as Ethiopian Chala Katema ran away with course record.
Kipkoech finished third behind winner Ketema who ran awya with a course record of 27:23 and Ugandan Stephen Kissa in second position timing 27:24 before Kipkoech’s 27:26.t
Making a debut, Katema was little known ran against experienced athletes like former Paris marathon champion Mathew Kimeli and Ugandan Kissa and Kipkoech.
Katema broke away from the group past the five kilometer mark but Kissa and Kipkoech stuck with him but the two could not march his powerful kick when they reached the last 400m mark. He held on to cut the tape in a new course record of 27:23 erasing the 2017 record of 27:52 that had been set by Kenyan Nicholas Mboroto Kosimbe.
Kissa came in second a second later while Kipkoech closed the first three podium finishes in 27:26.
The three podium finishers ran below Kosimbe’s course record.
LEADING RESULTS
MEN
- Chala Ketema (ETH) 27:23
- Stephen Kissa (UGA) 27:24
- Vedic Kipkoech (KEN) 27:26
Source: Athletics.co.ke