Vivian Kiplagat to lead Kenyan charge to Sunday's Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon

ATHLETICS Vivian Kiplagat to lead Kenyan charge to Sunday's Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon

Abigael Wafula 09:57 - 19.08.2023

The 31-year-old, who has a Personal Best time of 1:06:07 over the 21km distance will be joined by compatriots Vivian Jelagat and Viola Kosgei.

Milano 2018 Marathon champion Vivian Kiplagat will lead the Kenyan charge to the Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon on Sunday, August 20.

Kiplagat will be competing in her third race, looking for a win in the deep field. She opened her season with a seventh-place finish at the Osaka Marathon and went to the Tokyo Marathon where she failed to finish the race.

The 31-year-old, who has a Personal Best time of 1:06:07 over the 21km distance, will be joined by compatriots Vivian Jelagat and Viola Kosgei.

Jelagat will be opening her 2023 season at the event and will also be debuting over the Half Marathon distance. She has only been competing in two race categories, the 800m, and 5,000m, and will now be making a switch to the roads.

Uganda’s Emily Chebet will pose as the Kenyan trio’s greatest challenger because she is also among the top elite entries. However, the fact that she will be opening her season at the event is not a huge threat since Kiplagat has already competed in two races and she is in fine form.

In the men’s field, the Ugandan duo of Moses Kibet and Moses Kiprop lead the highly-contested field. Kibet has already competed in two Half Marathon races in Brazil this year and he will have a smooth ride since he is used to the environment there.

Unlike Kibet, Kiprop will be opening his season at the event, his last race being the 2022 MTN Kampala Marathon in November where he finished third.

Ethiopia’s Negewi Debela Giduma is also among the top athletes who will be contesting for top honours.