Africa-Press – South-Africa. South African athlete Stephen Mokoka set the 50km men’s world
record in a road race in Gqeberha on Sunday.Mokoka’s time of 2:40:13 has been recognised as the world
record by World Athletics.WORLD RECORD ??
Stephen Mokoka ???? breaks the world 50km record at the Nedbank #Runified 50km in Gqeberha, South Africa!
For his racing debut on the distance, the three-time Olympian crosses the finish line in 2:40:13 ??
*subject to ratification— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) March 6, 2022Mokoka, a three-time Olympian, has been running marathons
for more than a decade but made history in his first 50km race.He won by almost four minutes and improved the inaugural
world 50km record of 2:42:07 that had been set by Ethiopia’s Ketema Negasa at
the same event last year.”I’m tired,” Mokoka, 37, said in his post-race
interview. “It’s a long way and I don’t know how I’m going to feel later,
but I enjoyed it.”Mokoka has won national titles in his career, ranging from 1 500m up
to the marathon. His marathon best is 2:07:40 from Shanghai in 2015, while
he set the South African half marathon record when running 59:36 to place
seventh at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia.SA’s Tete Dijana was runner-up to Mokoka, clocking 2:44:08, with compatriot and 2019 Comrades winner, Edward Mothibi, third in 2:45:27.Given the increasing popularity of 50km road races, the
decision to add the distance to the list of events for which world records are
recognised was made at the World Athletics Council meeting in Tokyo in July.
Negasa’s 2:42:07 was then ratified as the inaugural men’s world 50km record at
the start of this year, while the 3:04:24 run by South Africa’s Irvette van Zyl
in the same 2021 event was ratified as the world 50km record for a women-only
race.In Sunday’s women’s race, Ethiopia’s Amelework Fikadu Bosho won in a
dominant time of 3:04:58.Kenya’s Shelmith Muriuki was second in 3:08:30, while Van
Zyl was third in 3:13:23.World Athletics confirmed the record was subject to the usual
ratification procedure.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
