Tunisia's Rachid Amour clocked 1:01:53 and set a national record yesterday (17 April) in a Half Marathon in Brugnera, a little place near Pordenone in Northern Italy. The previous record was 1:02:10, set by Ridha El Amri last year. Amour, who had a previous PB 1:02:47, out-sprinted little-known Kenya's Paul Kipkemei Kogo by 1 second. Kogo and the other two Kenyans behind him, set a PB as well.
"I'm very satisfied, it was a perfect race," Amour said, "the weather conditions were really good, the course was completely flat, and very flat was also the pace." Amour is a in very good shape after a training period at home. "I was well prepared for Stramilano last Sunday on my 27th birthday," he added, "but a last minute stomach-ache forced me to drop out at halfway. Today I showed that I could have run a great race in Milan."
Amour will come back in Tunisia to train for the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, where he will run the full marathon. He took a berth in the team with the 2:15:48 he ran in Milan last November at his debut on the distance. "Before the Worlds my goal will be a medal on the Half Marathon at the Mediterranean Games in June," said Amour, who is graduated in physical education and since last year has been coached by Dr. Gabriele Rosa.
Kenya's Jane Kariuki set a course record in the women's race. For more than half the event she ran at a 1:10-pace (3:20 per km), but in the last kilometres she visibly slowed down and closed with a time of 1:12:33, breaking the previous record by 1:03.
Alberto Zorzi for the IAAF
RESULTS (21,097km)
Men's race
1. Rachid Amour TUN 1:01:53 (NR)
2. Paul Kipkemei Kogo KEN 1:01:54
3. Hillary Kipkering Koech KEN 1:02:09
4. Henry Githuka KEN 1:03:27
Women's race
1. Jane Kariuki KEN 1:12:33
