Kipruto Rhonex just misses the men’s world record at the Birell Prague Grand Prix as Caroline Kipkirui runs women’s third fastest time ever.

Kenyan runner Kipruto Rhonex triumphed with a time of 26:46 at the Birell Prague Grand Prix on Saturday (September 8).

The 18 year-old’s winning time is only two seconds off the world record of 26:44 set by compatriot Leonard Komom in 2010.

Running alone with the other elite rapidly dropping back, Kipruto went through 5km in 13:31 and rarely looking back ran a negative split of 13:15 to slash his personal best by 22 seconds.

Second placer Geoffrey Koech came in 32 seconds behind Kipruto with 27:18 and Mathew Kimeli third with 27:26. In all, eleven runners crossed the finish line in under 28 minutes.

Earlier this year, Rhonex clocked 27:08 at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10k in Central Park, New York, which was the fastest 10k ever on a record-eligible course on American soil.

The Kenyan youngster followed that performance up winning gold in the 10,000m at the World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland in August.

The fastest woman at the Birell Prague Grand Prix was fellow Kenyan Caroline Kipkirui, who clocked 30:19 as the first three finishers completed the course with just four seconds between them.

It is the third fastest women’s time in history, behind world record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei, who clocked 29:43 at the Prague race last year, while Fancy Chemutai holds the number two spot with 30:06.

After running side by side throughout the race, the leading trio of Kipkirui, Chemutai, and Diana Chemtai Kipyokei broke into the final sprint just a few hundred metres out, with Kipkirui winning the dash only metres ahead of her rivals. Chemutai clocked 30:22, while Kipyokei completed the podium in 30:23.

Meanwhile, in the men’s race, Ross Millington finished 16th in a personal best 28:40, which is the third fastest time by a British athlete this year. Luke Traynor, the second fastest GB athlete in 2018, crossed the line in 18th running 29:22.

In the women’s race, fellow British runner Emelia Gorecka ran 33:41 to finish 10th on her road 10k debut.

Men
1. Kipruto Rhonex | KEN | 00:26:46
2. Koech Geoffrey | KEN | 00:27:18
3. Kimeli Mathew | KEN | 00:27:26
4. Kipyatich Abraham | KEN | 00:27:38
5. Lagat Benard Kibet | KEN | 00:27:40
6. Kwemoi Peter | KEN | 00:27:44
7. Amghar Hicham | MAR | 00:27:46
8. Kimeli Benard | KEN | 00:27:50
9. Belihu Berta | ETH | 00:27:54
10. Kipkoech Vedic | KEN | 00:27:57

Women
1. C. Kipkirui Caroline | KEN | 00:30:19
2. Chemutai Fancy | KEN | 00:30:22
3. Kipyokei Diana Chemtai | KEN | 00:30:23
4. Tuitoek Dorcas Jepchirchir | KEN | 00:31:17
5. Nenkampi Perine | KEN | 00:31:25
6. Wanjiru Rosemary M. | KEN | 00:31:34
7. Chemnung Loice | KEN | 00:31:50
8. Van Der Wielen-Lahti Sarah | SWE | 00:32:23
9. Takashima Yuka | JAP | 00:32:26
10. Gorecka Emelia | GBR | 00:33:41

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.