Yomif Kejelcha seems to have won against his country and proved himself as one of the best athletes. Recently, Ethiopia’s Kejelcha took part in the World Athletics Gold Label road race. Running in the half marathon, Kejelcha achieved a historic feat at the Medio Maraton de Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Zurich this Sunday. Wondering what special feat he achieved? Well, he broke the world half-marathon record. 

Clocking an immaculate timing of 57:30, the Ethiopian now sits atop the pinnacle of the division. The decimated athlete, who was running in the event for the sixth time, shaved off a second from the previous world record. It was held by Jacob Kiplimo, who achieved the feat back in Lisbon. Besides getting his name associated with such a prestigious club, Kejelcha is also the holder of the world indoor mile record. 

Now, basking in the recent glory, everything seems to be all rosy for the 27-year-old. Unfortunately, just a few months back, Kejelcha was furious with his country for allegedly costing him an Olympic berth. While the Paris Olympics drew near, it was expected that Kejelcha would certainly be on the men’s 5000m team. Being one of the fastest runners in the category, his selection seemed quite obvious. However, once the final list came in, Kejelcha was in for a shock. 

The 27-year-old found himself out of the team in favor of another athlete, Biniam Mehary. Surprisingly, Mehary had much slower timing compared to the current half-marathon world record holder. Enraged at the suspicious occurrence, Kejelcha immediately condemned his own country. He took to social media and wrote, “I request the people and the government of my country to stand with me and oppose my oppression and help me get the right justice.”

Bringing in a side-by-side comparison, Biniam Mehary has a personal best of 12.54. Despite being an impressive number, this was nowhere close to the timing that Kejelcha recorded this year. Kejelcha’s 12.38 looked far superior, while Mehary only had his World Championship silver medal to show for that he won in the 10000m category. 

Thus, deciding to go on a verbal war with his country, the recent triumph comes as a huge boost for the athlete. As a matter of fact, not only did he establish a new world record, but this was a significantly improved personal best for the 27-year-old too. 

Yomif Kejelcha toils hard for his victory 

The conditions for the race became challenging right away as light drizzle seemed to make the track quite slippery. However, the immediate impact of the rain could not be fathomed as the front-line runners dashed through the initial kilometer within 2:43. However, as the race progressed, the others had a tough time maintaining the same tempo. And this is where Kejelcha’s championship mastery was on full display.

The 27-year-old gained the lead within the third kilometer, with names like Weldon Langat, Edward Cheserek, Selemon Barega, and more trailing behind him. After passing the five-kilometer mark, there were only six athletes, and by the time the race neared its end, the competition came down to just three. Putting up a relentless display of power and consistency, Kejelcha persisted and pushed hard for the world record. 

Eventually, the Ethiopian was successful in his quest, breaking the world record as well as shaving off 11 crucial seconds from his previous personal best. Thus, trying to prove himself as a worthy Olympic champion, Yomif Kejelcha’s battle against his own country seems to have struck just the right notes.