media_artricles :: 2016

Nero 75th in IAAF World Half Marathon

T&T's Tonya Nero ran a season's best to place 75th at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff in the United Kingdom, yesterday. Nero, one of this country's most successful long-distance runners, clocked one hour 19 minutes and 54 seconds in a race that had 85 participants.

After the race, in a Facebook post, Nero said: "It was a ten degrees Celsius, rainy and windy day in Cardiff. I was 75th out of 85 women at the Championships (1:19.54). I felt proud to hear the announcer say 'And here is our Caribbean athlete coming through the finish line.' I'm always happy to represent. Thank God for a safe race and great experience."

As expected the Kenyan women dominated as they did in the 2014 in Copenhagen, when they achieved an unprecedented feat by filling the top five places.

This time around though two of the Ethiopian runners, who finished behind the Kenyan quintet in Copenhagen two years ago, Netsanet Gudeta and Genet Yalew, were keen to make it on to the podium.

However, they fell just short of that goal, but they were able to fill the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. Gudeta crossed in 1:08.01 and Yalew in 1:08.15.

Emerging the winner was Kenyan Peres Jepchichir in a time of 1:07.31 with her teammates Cynthia Limo, the world leader, in second in 1:07.34 and Mary Wacera completing the Kenyan sweep by finishing third in 1:07.54.

Before 2014, no country had secured all of the medals in the women's race at the IAAF half marathon, but Kenya has now pulled off the feat twice in a row.

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