The 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Nanning, China on 16 October 2010.[1] The competition took place on the city streets, beginning and ending at Wuxiang Square, with a total prize purse of US$245,000 at stake.[2]
 | |
| Host city | Nanning, Guangxi, China  |
|---|---|
| Nations | 30 |
| Athletes | 123 |
| Events | 2 |
| Dates | 16 October 2010 |
| Race length | 21.0975 km (13.1 mi) |
| Individual prize money (US$) | 1st: 30,000 2nd: 15,000 3rd: 10,000 4th: 7,000 5th: 5,000 6th: 3,000 |
| Team prize money (US$) | 1st: 15,000 2nd: 12,000 3rd: 9,000 4th: 7,500 5th: 6,000 6th: 3,000 |
The Kenyan athletes emerged with both the individual and team titles in the men's and women's races. Despite limited experience in top level half marathon races, Wilson Kiprop and Florence Kiplagat won their respective races. Kiprop broke Zersenay Tadese's winning streak which dated back to 2006, out-sprinting the defending champion in the final stages. Sammy Kitwara won the men's bronze medal and helped Kenya to the men's team title. Led by Zersenay, the Eritrean men beat Ethiopia to the team silver medal spot.
Kiplagat, who was ever present at the front of the women's race, outdid Ethiopian Dire Tune in the last kilometre to win her second gold medal on the global stage. Mirroring Kitwara, Kenya's women's bronze medallist Peninah Jerop Arusei secured the team's victory over Ethiopia. Representing the hosts, Zhu Xiaolin was the only non-African to reach the top eight at the championships. The joint effort of the Japanese women aided them to a sixth consecutive team bronze medal – making them the only medalling country outside the typically strong African triumvirate of Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
A total of 30 countries were represented at the 19th edition of the competition and 123 runners altogether were entered into the men's and women's races. The event was the final edition to be held on an annual schedule, as the competition switched to a biennial format for the 2012 championships.
Organization
editThe city of Nanning was announced as the host venue for the 2010 World Half Marathon Championship at the IAAF Council Meeting in Monaco in November 2008. The winning bid was a continuation of a series of major international athletics events in the People's Republic of China, which included the 2006 World Junior Championships and a highly successful athletics competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[3][4] It was the first time that China hosted the competition, becoming the second Asian country to do so after India, which held the 2004 edition in New Delhi.[5]
The Local Organizing Committee was headed by the Nanning Sports Bureau and worked in conjunction with the Chinese Athletics Association and the IAAF.[6] The event gained a high-profile title sponsor in Sinopec, the major Chinese state-owned petroleum corporation.[4] The competition featured an original event mascot – an anthropomorphic ox, called "Ah Niu", which was dressed in the traditional costume of the Zhuang people.[7]
In addition to the primary events of the day, the competition was held in conjunction with Nanning's 28th Liberation Day celebrations and mass races over 10 km and 4 km were also held.[8] The Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed live television coverage of the event via helicopter.[9]
Format
editContinuing in the tradition of previous editions, the championships comprised separate half marathon road races for men and women, with each race having an individual and international team aspect. Each nation could enter a maximum of five athletes per race and the team scores were calculated by combining the finishing times of each team's top three runners. Nations with less than three runners were disregarded for the team event and their runners competed for the individual prizes only.[10]
Athletes typically gained selection for their country in one of two ways: through recent performances on the international road running circuit, or via a performance at a specially designated half marathon national championships.[11]
A total prize money pot of US$245,000 was available to athletes at the championships, with awards being given those placing from first to sixth in both the individual and team sections. The amounts on offer for each competition were equal across the sexes. The top prize for the individual race winners was $30,000, while the three athletes in the winning teams earned a share of $15,000. A further $50,000 was provided as in incentive for runners who improved upon the half marathon world record mark, but ultimately this award was not claimed at the 2010 championships. All athletes receiving prize money needed to submit to – and pass – a doping test in order to claim their award.[10]
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual race | 30,000 | 15,000 | 10,000 | 7,000 | 5,000 | 3,000 |
| Team race | 15,000 | 12,000 | 9,000 | 7,500 | 6,000 | 3,000 |
Course
edit
The half marathon course was designed in a double-looped, or figure eight, format which had Wuxiang Square as the central start and finish point for the race, situated just off Nanning's Minzu Avenue. The route left the square in a westerly direction along Minzu Avenue, before turning north on Binhu Road. It turned left onto Changu Road and followed Dongge Road up to the Guangxi People's Hall, which was around the 8 km mark. Turning back eastwards via Minsheng Road and Gonghe Road, the route ran along the straightway of Minzu Avenue, passing the halfway marker at this point.[12][13][14]
The racers then headed right to go south along Shuangyong Road and Qingshan Road, passing the Qingzhu Flyover on their way. Going northwards along Zhuxi Avenue, the race came up to the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center and headed east on Minzu Road before doubling back via Qingxiu Road. Tracing a path alongside The Admiral City Shopping Mall, the route went east to return the starting point of Wuxiang Square.[12][13][14] There was little elevation on the generally flat course, which ranged between eight and twelve metres wide along the route.[10]
The championships were held on 16 October 2010. The women's race began at 8:30am local time (GMT+8) and the men's competition began half an hour after this. In addition to the elite races, a complementary mass fun run event of 10 km and 4 km was held for the people of Nanning (beginning at 9:15am). The competitions took place in the morning in order to avoid the heat of the day in what is one of PR China's most southerly cities.[10]
Nanhu Park was the designated training area for the athletes in attendance.[13]
Medallists
edit| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | ||||||
| Men |  Wilson Kiprop (KEN) |
1:00:07 |  Zersenay Tadesse (ERI) |
1:00:11 | Sammy Kitwara (KEN) |
1:00:22 |
| Women | Florence Kiplagat (KEN) |
1:08:24 |  Dire Tune (ETH) |
1:08:34 | Peninah Arusei (KEN) |
1:09:05 |
| Team | ||||||
| Team Men | Kenya |
3:01:32 | Eritrea |
3:03:04 | Ethiopia |
3:05:26 |
| Team Women | Kenya |
3:26:59 | Ethiopia |
3:27:33 |  Japan |
3:33:40 |
Men's race
editThe favourite for the men's race was Eritrean runner Zersenay Tadese (the defending champion with four straight wins), who had broken the world record earlier that year with a run of 58:23 minutes at the Lisbon Half Marathon.[15] Newly minted African Champion Wilson Kiprop was the most prominent of the Kenyan contingent, which was the clear favourite for the team title through its hoard of sub-60 minute runners including Sammy Kitwara, Silas Kipruto and Moses Mosop. Other contenders were Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa and Eritrean Samuel Tsegay.[16][17][18] Kenya was the defending champion in the team race.[19]
The hot and humid conditions in Nanning slowed the runners' pace and twelve of them remained within the main pack by the 10 km point. The following five kilometres was decisive for the race, as Samuel Tsegay, Titus Masai and Mosop were all left trailing. The leading four runners were soon reduced to three, as Kipruto fell away to leave Zersenay Tadese, Wilson Kiprop and Sammy Kitwara to battle for the medal positions. Zersenay and Kiprop were neck and neck in the lead from the last kilometre and it was Kiprop who pulled away in the final 100 metres to break the Eritrean's four-year undefeated streak. Zersenay faded badly at the end and appeared injured after taking second place. Kitwara and Kipruto were third and fourth, sealing the Kenyan team victory, while Samuel Tsegay's fifth place helped Eritrea to the team silver.[20][21][22]
The win continued Kiprop's meteoric rise of 2010 – a year in which he had gone from a low-profile circuit runner to the 10,000 metres Kenyan and African champion, with a sub-60 minute half marathon best after wins in Paris and Lille.[23][24] Silver medallist Zersenay received some consolation as he was given the AIMS/Citizen World's Fastest Time Award days after the competition in respect of his position as world record holder, becoming only the second half marathon athlete to be selected for the accolade after Lornah Kiplagat.[25][26] There were no surprise breakthroughs in the men's race as all the top performers were those predicted to make an impact before the race. However, there were some other achievements of note including: Kitwara's first individual medal for Kenya, personal bests for Birhanu Bekele and Tomoya Onishi in eighth and ninth place respectively, and (much further back in the field) a national record for Bhutanese racer Passang Passang.[27]
Men's results
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| Rank | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kenya
|
Wilson Kiprop Sammy Kitwara Silas Kipruto |
3:01:32 |
|
Eritrea
|
Zersenay Tadese Samuel Tsegay Tewelde Estifanos |
3:03:04 |
|
Ethiopia
|
Lelisa Desisa Birhanu Bekele Asefa Mengstu |
3:05:26 |
| 4 | Japan |
Tomoya Onishi Tsuyoshi Ugachi Masato Imai |
3:06:48 |
| 5 |  South Africa |
Lungisa Mdedelwa Samuel Segoaba Moorosi Soke |
3:09:53 |
| 6 |  United States |
Sean Quigley Antonio Vega Andrew Carlson |
3:12:38 |
| 7 |  France |
Ruben Iindongo Djamel Bachiri Driss El-Himer |
3:13:07 |
| 8 |  Peru |
John Cusi Jaime Caldua Constantino León |
3:15:12 |
| 9 |  Spain |
Rachid Nadij José Ríos Pedro Santos |
3:16:04 |
| 10 | China |
Yang Dinghong Li Fei Gao Laiyuan |
3:20:58 |
| 11 |  Botswana |
Boiphemelo Selagaboy Kelebonye Simbowa Ndabili Bashingili |
3:21:59 |
Women's race
editThe provisional favourite for the women's race was Kenyan runner Florence Kiplagat, who was the fastest entrant in the field through her win at the Lille Half Marathon in September (also her debut for the distance).[29] Her compatriots Peninah Arusei and Sarah Chepchirchir – second and third in Lille – completed the strongest three of the Kenyan women's team, which was considered the team to beat for the title. The Ethiopians, led by Boston Marathon winner Dire Tune, were their main opposition for the team race, although the nation had sent relatively inexperienced runners to the championships on this occasion. China's leading athlete was Zhu Xiaolin, who despite being an established marathon runner had less experience over the half distance.[30] Although Japan lacked a leading figure individually, their overall consistency (which had brought them team medals in the last five editions) demonstrated their team pedigree.[31] Kenya entered the tournament as the reigning team champions.[19]
The beginning to the race highlighted the dominance of the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners as they set a high tempo from the outset. By the time the first 5 km marker was passed, Australia's Nikki Chapple was the only athlete left in the leading pack to come from outside the two historically strong nations. A few kilometres later, she dropped back from the pack and at the 10 km mark five Ethiopians and four Kenyans had a fifteen-second advantage on the rest of the field. As the race reached the midway point, the temperature began to increase and the heat and humidity reduced the pace of the runners. The conditions took their toll on some of the leaders in this section of the race. Chepchirchir slowed considerably while Meseret Mengistu, Joyce Chepkirui and Fate Tola were the next to gradually lose contact with the front runners. Kiplagat, Dire, Arusei and Feyse Tadese were the sole contenders remaining as the race headed towards the final stages, but Kiplagat and Dire soon left the other two trailing a few minutes later.[22][32][33]
Despite Dire's greater experience over long distances, it was Kiplagat who forged ahead in the last kilometre and she won the race with ten seconds to spare over her Ethiopian rival. Arusei was the third across the line half a minute later, while Feyse Tadese, Joyce Chepkirui, Meseret Mengistu and Fate Tola took places 4–7 around one minute behind the winner. It was Arusei's clear third place which proved the difference between the top African teams, as Kenya won the team gold by a margin of 34 seconds over Ethiopia. A strong final phase saw Zhu Xiaolin take eighth place for the hosts, which was the best non-African individual performance that year.[32] Japan's Yoshimi Ozaki and Ryoko Kizaki were immediately behind her, failing to get a top eight finish but yet again leading the country to the team bronze with a buffer of over six minutes between them and Australia.[33][34]
Kiplagat collected her first international road running title in only her second effort over the half marathon distance – her second world title after the senior crown at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She said her next priority would be taking a medal on the track "That is my goal for next year (World Championships in Daegu) and at the next Olympics".[35] For Dire and Arusei – both prolific road runners – this was their first individual medal on the world stage.[36][37] The younger Ethiopians (Feyse Tadese, Meseret Mengistu and Fate Tola) missed out on the medals but still set personal bests for the half marathon, as did Kenyan Joyce Chepkirui.[32]
Women's results
edit
| Rank | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Kenya
|
Florence Jebet Kiplagat Peninah Jerop Arusei Joyce Chepkirui |
3:26:59 |
|
|
Ethiopia
|
Dire Tune Feyse Tadese Meseret Mengistu |
3:27:33 |
|
|
Japan
|
Yoshimi Ozaki Ryoko Kizaki Azusa Nojiri |
3:33:40 |
| 4 |  Australia |
Nicole Chapple Jessica Trengove Benita Willis |
3:40:14 |
| 5 |  Brazil |
Adriana Aparecida da Silva Sueli Silva Fabiane Cristine da Silva |
3:44:05 |
| 6 | Peru |
Gladys Tejeda Jimena Misayauri Julia Rivera |
3:46:00 |
| 7 | United States |
Stephanie Rothstein Samia Akbar Loretta Kilmer |
3:46:24 |
| 8 | China |
Zhu Xiaolin Hao Xiaofan Ding Changqin |
3:47:05 |
| 9 | South Africa |
Louisa Leballo Zintle Xiniwe Mpho Mabuza |
3:50:56 |
| 10 |  Mexico |
Marisol Romero Karina Pérez Paula Apolonio |
3:51:34 |
Participation
editA total of thirty nations were represented at the championships, with a combined total of 123 male and female athletes in attendance. Five countries entered the maximum of five athletes per race: Ethiopia, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, and the United States.[27][38] British runner Andrew Lemoncello was scheduled to be his country's sole representative in the men's race, but he was refused entry into the country without explanation, causing a dispute between UK Athletics and the Chinese Athletic Association.[39][40]
- Number of athletes in parentheses
Angola (1)
Australia (6)
Bhutan (1)
Botswana (5)
Brazil (5)
Bulgaria (2)
Canada (1)
Chile (1)
China (6)
Democratic Republic of the Congo (1)
Djibouti (2)
Egypt (1)
Eritrea (6)
Ethiopia (10)
France (7)
Japan (10)
Kazakhstan (1)
Kenya (10)
Kyrgyzstan (1)
Macau (2)
Mexico (5)
Namibia (2)
Peru (7)
Poland (1)
Romania (2)
South Africa (10)
Spain (4)
Tunisia (2)
United Kingdom (1)
United States (10)
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ IAAF Council Meeting notes, Monaco – 20 November Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2009-11-20). Retrieved on 2010-01-02.
- ^ 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. USATF (2010-10-16). Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ IAAF Council Meeting notes, Monaco - 22 November Archived 2009-06-09 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2008-11-22). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ a b Ramsak, Bob (2010-10-15). IAAF / LOC Press Conference - Nanning 2010 Archived 2010-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ IAAF/SINOPEC World Half Marathon Championships – Nanning 2010 – Facts and Figures Archived August 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Basic Information Guide - IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, 2010 - Nanning - CHN Archived 2010-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Nanning celebrates 100 days to go Archived 2011-01-24 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2010-07-09). Retrieved on 2010-07-23.
- ^ Wang Hao Duo (2010-09-15). 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships held in October Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine (in Chinese). Big5 Enorth. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ CCTV will broadcast live aerial Nanning World Half Marathon Championships Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine. NN News (2010-09-16). Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ a b c d $245,000 Prize Money; Course Map/Profile; Team Scoring – Nanning 2010 Archived 2010-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ National champions lead US squad for Nanning - IAAF / Sinopec World Half-Marathon Championships Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF/USATF (2010-10-07). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ a b Course Profile - Nanning 2010 Archived 2012-08-13 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ a b c Map of Nanning City Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine. 2010 NNWHM. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ a b The Route Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine. 2010 NNWHM. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Omogbeja, Yomi (2010-03-21). Tadese lowers World Half Marathon mark in Lisbon Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine. Athletics Africa. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2010-10-14). The spotlight on Tadese – MEN'S RACE PREVIEW – Nanning 2010 Archived 2010-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-21.
- ^ Lotsbom, Chris (2010-10-15). Tadese, Kiplagat Headline IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine. All-Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ Tadese and Kiplagat Start Favourites for Half Marathon Titles Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine. Great Run (2010-10-15). Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ a b Lamppa, Ryan (2010-10-06). Team USA Set for World Half Marathon Championships Archived 2010-10-13 at the Wayback Machine. Cool Running. Retrieved on 2010-11-24.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2010-10-16). Kiprop dethrones Tadese - Men’s Race – Nanning 2010 Archived 2010-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-16.
- ^ Musumba, Chris (2010-10-16). Kenyans claim rare double at IAAF World meet Archived 2012-09-29 at the Wayback Machine. Daily Nation. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ a b 16 OCTOBER 2010: IAAF/SINOPEC WORLD HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS, CHINA Archived 25 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (October 2010). Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ James Wokabi and Mutwiri Mutuota (2010-07-22). Focus on Athletes - Wilson Kiprop Archived 2012-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-21.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2010-09-06). Fast Half Marathon debut for F. Kiplagat in Lille Archived 2010-09-10 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-21.
- ^ Zersenay Tadese receives the AIMS/Citizen World’s fastest time award for the Half Marathon Archived 2010-10-23 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2010-10-20). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ AIMS/Citizen World Fastest Time Awards Previous Winners Archived 2010-10-28 at the Wayback Machine. AIMS. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ a b c Results Half Marathon - Men Archived April 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Official Team Results Half Marathon - Men Archived 2010-10-19 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2010-09-06). Fast Half Marathon debut for F. Kiplagat in Lille Archived 2010-09-10 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-09-07.
- ^ Mills, Steven (2010-10-15). Tadese and Kiplagat favoured for Nanning successive Archived 2010-10-25 at the Wayback Machine. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2010-10-14). Kiplagat the favourite, as Kenya and Ethiopia prepare to tussle – WOMEN'S RACE PREVIEW – Nanning 2010 Archived 2010-10-17 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ a b c Ramsak, Bob (2010-10-16). Kiplagat kicks to gold - Women’s Race – Nanning 2010 Archived 2010-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ a b c Official Team Results Half Marathon - Women Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Quigley, Rothstein lead U.S. teams at World Half Marathon Championships Archived 2010-10-22 at the Wayback Machine. USATF (2010-10-16). Retrieved on 2010-11-24.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2010-10-16). Kiprop and Kiplagat take home rare double Half Marathon champs victory – Nanning 2010 Archived 2010-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Tune Dire Archived 2010-11-13 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ Arusei Peninah Jerop Archived 2010-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ a b Results Half Marathon - Women Archived April 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 2010-10-23.
- ^ Lemoncello refused China visa Archived 2012-04-03 at the Wayback Machine. The Press and Journal (2010-10-18). Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
- ^ Battaglia, Joe (2010-10-14). World Half-Marathon: 5 Storylines. Universal Sports. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
