- Ruth Chepngetich will attack the 10K world record on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 in Spain.
- She is expected to face stiff competition from Ethiopia’s Adawork Aberta, who has a personal best of 32:27.
- Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi headline the men’s category that also has three talented Spanish athletes.
Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya will be seeking to end the year with another world record when she assembles at the starting lineup of the 2024 Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana 10k race on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.
Chepngetich, who produced an impeccable display in the recently held Bank of America Chicago Marathon, is one of the favorites to win the race.
In Chicago, the Ngong based road race runner ran a sensational race that saw her cut the tape in a world record time of 2:09:56.
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Her time was more than 80 seconds faster than the previous mark of 2:11:53 that was set by Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa during the 2023 Berlin Marathon edition.
In addition, the impressive result, which was ratified two weeks ago by the World Athletics, made Chepngetich become the first ever woman to clock a sub 2:10:00 performance in history.
The mother of one is expected to battle it out with a deep field that has the likes of Ethiopia’s Adawork Aberta and Kenyan-born Mexican international Risper Biyaki Besabwa in the eagerly anticipated showdown.
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Some of the other athletes who are set to light up the streets of Madrid on Tuesday include the Turkish duo of Tugba Güvenç Yenigün and Emine Hartun Mechaal.
Rhonex Kipruto’s world record under threat
Meanwhile, the organizers of the race have also put together a star-studded men’s lineup that is headlined by the reigning World Athletics Cross Country Championships champion Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda.
Kiplimo, who is fresh from obliterating the 15 km world record, will fight for the top prize with other top talents such as Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi and the Spanish trio of Jesus Ramos, Yago Rojo and Adel Mechaal.
The above runners will be looking to better the current 10K world record of 26:24 that was set by Kenya’s Rhonex Kipruto on January 12, 2020.
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