Yehualaw clinches third Antrim Coast Half victory

Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw secured a 3rd triumph successful nan Antrim Coast Half Marathon women's arena arsenic Kenya's Alex Nzioka Matata earned men's victory.

Yehualaw, who won nan 2022 London Marathon, was good clear by halfway and her finishing clip of 65 minutes and 34 seconds successful bedewed and windy conditions near her 1 infinitesimal and 16 seconds clear of Kenya's Loice Chemnung.

2021 London Marathon victor Joyciline Jepkosgei was expected to beryllium Yehualaw's main challenger but had to settee for 3rd spot a infinitesimal and 33 seconds disconnected nan pace.

Amid nan inclement upwind connected nan 13-mile people successful and astir Larne, Yehualaw's winning clip was good extracurricular her individual champion of 63:51.

Yehualaw, 25, thought she had group a caller world grounds successful her first tally successful nan Northern Ireland arena successful 2021 aft crossing nan statement successful 63:44 but that clip was not ratified aft nan people was recovered to beryllium 54 metres short.

In nan men's race, Nzioka Matata, 27, produced a superb tally successful nan atrocious upwind conditions to break 60 minutes arsenic he clocked 59 minutes and 48 seconds.

The Kenyan's clip was only 11 seconds extracurricular his individual champion group erstwhile he won nan Padova Half Marathon successful Italy earlier this year.

Nzioka Matata's winning clip near 41 seconds up of compatriot Hillary Kipkoech (60:29) pinch Ethiopia's doubly Tokyo Marathon victor Birhanu Legese a further 1 2nd backmost successful 3rd place.

The victor collapsed clear of nan world's sixth fastest ever marathon runner Legese conscionable aft halfway and was ne'er threatened thereafter.

Nzioka Matata's compatriot Hillary Chepkwony was nan fastest man successful nan section pinch a individual champion of 58:53 group successful Valencia past October but recovered himself detached from nan leaders from an early shape and was incapable to get backmost successful contention arsenic he yet vanished 2 minutes and 10 seconds disconnected nan gait successful sixth place.