The Buenos Aires Half Marathon had a day that will be marked in the history of athletics. Yomif Kejelcha took the victory in the 37th edition of the competition and, with a time of 56 minutes and 50 seconds, set a new world record in the 21.097 kilometers.
The Ethiopian, one of the great figures in international running, quickly took control of the race. Around the 7-kilometer mark, he managed to break away from the rest and faced the last 14 kilometers alone, with the goal of staying within the pace that would allow him to reclaim the record that was held by Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo (58:29 set in the previous edition).
The gamble paid off. Kejelcha finished under 57 minutes and improved the record of 57:20 that Kiplimo had set in Lisbon on March 8 of this year by 30 seconds. Additionally, he returned to the top of a distance in which he had already been the world record holder in October 2024, when he recorded 57:30 in Valencia.
The new record also allowed him to surpass the circuit record of the Buenos Aires race, which Kiplimo had set at 58:29 during the previous edition. Behind Kejelcha finished his compatriots Tadese Worku, with 59:18, and Bereket Nega, with 1:00:17, completing an all-Ethiopian podium.
"I am very happy, it is a dream", expressed Kejelcha after crossing the finish line, still emotional about the result achieved in Buenos Aires.
The competition, which began at 8 at the intersection of Figueroa Alcorta and Dorrego avenues, brought together more than 30,000 participants from 55 countries and once again became one of the most attended events in South America.
Among the Argentines, Ignacio Erario was the best classified and was very close to achieving a historic mark. The Mendoza native completed the course in 1:00:57, improved his personal record and won the race among national runners, although he could not surpass the Argentine record of Antonio Silio, who holds the record with 1:00:45 since 1998.
Ignacio Erario came very close to breaking the national record
"I am very happy for what it means for a South American athlete. It is also a psychological barrier for me", said Erario, who also highlighted his attitude during the race: "I can say that fulfilling, one always seeks to surpass oneself. I held nothing back. I believe I ran a brave race, even though I was alone for a couple of kilometers, I didn't fall".
The Argentine men's podium was completed by Manuel Córsico, with 1:03:56, and Lautaro Iraola, with 1:04:11.
On the women's side, there was also a remarkable performance. Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay won with 1:03:56 and set a new competition record, significantly surpassing the mark of 1:05:58 that Ruth Chepngetich had established in 2024. Turkish runners Nevin Can and Selin Can completed the international podium with 1:05:06 and 1:05:09, respectively.
Among the Argentine women, Sofía Luna was the fastest with 1:11:16. Dahyana Juárez finished second, just 7 seconds behind, while Chiara Mainetti completed the national podium with a 1:12:38.
