Joyciline Jepkosgei wins the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon (© Organisers / Jiro Mochizuki)
Freshly-minted world record* holder Joyciline Jepkosgei will be returning to action at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 23 April, organisers have announced.
The 23-year-old Jepkosgei produced one of the most stunning international breakout performances in recent years when she broke four world records at the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon on 1 April. The Kenyan clocked 1:04:52 to shatter the previous mark by 14 seconds after also taking down world records* for 10km, 15km and 20km en route to her triumph.
She'll be the focus of attention in the central Japanese city of Gifu, in a race that will also feature Ethiopian Belaynesh Oljira, Kenyan Philes Ongori and Mimi Belete of Bahrain.
Oljira, who boasts a 1:07:27 lifetime best, returns to action after her eighth place finish at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017 on 26 March.
Ongori, the runner-up at the World Half Marathon Championships in 2009, has a 1:07:38 career best, while Belete clocked her personal best of 1:09:14 in February.
Leading the men's field will be Kenyans Bernard Kipyego and Kenneth Keter. Kipyego, 30, a two-time winner at the Amsterdam Marathon, has a 59:10 half marathon lifetime best.
Keter, 20, ran his 59:48 personal best last year, and most recently finished fourth in the Paris Half Marathon on 5 March where he clocked 1:01:50. He was also fourth in this race in 2016.
The women's course record of 1:08:55 was set last year by two-time winner Eunice Kirwa of Kenya. The men's course record of 1:00:02 was set by Kenyan Bedan Karoki in 2014.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
*Subject to the usual ratification procedures
