Yeshaneh smashes women's half marathon world record

Yeshaneh smashes women's half marathon world record

Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh knock 20 seconds off the women's half marathon world record in the UAE, wearing a permitted version of the Nike Vaporfly shoe.

SHOWS: RAS AL KHAIMAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (FEBRUARY 21, 2020) (RCS VNR - NO ARCHIVE, NO RESALES) 1.

START OF RACE (3 SHOTS) 2.

BRIGID KOSGEI (LEFT) AND ABABEL YESHANEH SHARING A WATER BOTTLE AS THEY LEAD THE WOMEN'S RACE 3.

KOSGEI AND YESHANEH ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER IN THE LEAD AT THE 15KM MARK 4.

YESHANEH PULLING AWAY FROM KOSGEI 5.

YESHANEH IN CLOSING STAGES 6.

YESHANEH CROSSES THE FINISH LINE TO BREAK THE WOMEN'S HALF MARATHON WORLD RECORD, YESHANEH SITS DOWN ON THE GROUND AS AN OFFICIAL CHECKS ON HER 7.

YESHANEH AT PRESENTATION STORY: Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshaneh smashed the women's half marathon world record by 20 seconds to win the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) event in the United Arab Emirates on Friday (February 21).

Yeshaneh crossed the finish line in one hour, four minutes and 31 seconds at the World Athletics Gold Label road race, eclipsing the previous record of 1:04:51 set by Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei in Valencia in 2017.

Marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei finished second, and her time was also two seconds inside Jepkosgei's mark.

Both Yeshaneh and Kosgei were wearing a version of Nike's Vaporfly shoes, which have featured in several other track and road records in the last three years.

Some earlier models of the shoe were banned by World Athletics last month, but the latest one launched by Nike complies with the rules to limit carbon plate usage and sole thickness for elite races.

Yeshaneh's previous best time of 1:05:46 had stood as the Ethiopian record for five months between 2018 and 2019.

(Production: Mike Brock)