Lilian Kasait/FILE

The 2014 World U20 3,000-meter silver medalist Lilian Kasait expressed disappointment even though she won the Prague Half Marathon on Saturday.

Kasait secured a Kenyan 1-2 finish with a time of 1:05:28, followed by Veronica Lole, who recorded a time of 1:06:39.

Ethiopia's Sintayehu Lewetegn claimed the bronze medal with a time of 1:08:42. Despite her joy at winning, Kasait confessed that she had been aiming for the course record of 1:04:52 established by Joyciline Jepkosgei back in 2017.

"It’s incredible to have won today, but I was aiming for the course record," Kasait stated following the competition.

She blamed the powerful gusts on failing to reach her objectives. "The high winds made things extremely challenging for me, however, overall, I'm satisfied with securing the victory," she commented.

Kasait's victory in Prague bolsters her outstanding performance as she looks forward to a robust 2025 campaign, building on an unforgettable 2024 season.

The previous year, she commenced her season securing third place in the Valencia 10K race with a time of 29:32 minutes. Following this achievement, she earned second place at the World Cross Country Championships held in Belgrade, completing the course in 31:08 minutes. Later, she went on to triumph in the Bengaluru 10K event in India, finishing with a mark of 30:56 minutes.

In August, Kasait competed in her second Olympics at the Stade de France in Paris, where she finished fifth in the 10,000 meters with a time of 30:45.04, just missing out on the podium. Undeterred by this result, she bounced back strongly, securing a spot on the podium in various races including the Valencia Half Marathon (1:03:32), the Hong Kong 10K (31:12), and the Al Sharqiyah 5K (14:50).

In the male competition held in Prague, Rodrigue Kwizera fromBurundi emerged victorious with a time of 58:54, narrowly defeating Kenya’s Isaiah Kipchoech (58:56) and Ezra Kipketer (59:20) in an exciting conclusion.

Leonard Kipkoech from Kenya claimed victory in Milan with a time of 2:08:39, leading a Kenyan sweep at the podium for the men’s event, followed closely by Isaac Kipkemboi who finished at 2:08:46 and Timothy Kosgei at 2:09:12. The women’s competition saw Ethiopia’s Shure Ware win first place with a record of 2:23:32, just ahead of Joan Jepkosgei from Kenya, who came in second place at 2:25:33.

In the Berlin Half Marathon, Richard Etir delivered an impressive run to secure second position with a time of 59:29, finishing just behind Ethiopia's Gemechu Diriba who clocked 58:43.

In Vienna, Kenyan women dominated the competition as Betty Chepkemoi claimed victory in the marathon with a time of 2:24:14, securing a podium sweep for her country.

Rebecca Tanui (2:25:18) and Catherine Cherotich (2:25:45) claimed the second and third positions, respectively. In the men's event, Mica Kiplagat finished in second place with a time of 2:10:23, following Ethiopia's Haftamu Abadi (2:08:28), who took first place, and preceding Mogos Tuemay (2:10:33) from Ethiopia.