Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha crossed the finish line of a 5km race in Lille, France, on Sunday, missing the world record by a second.
The two-time world indoor champion came close to Berihu Aregawi’s world record of 12:49 in Herzogenaurach last year, setting a PB of 12:53.
One year on from that, Yomif took another crack at the mark and fell just one second shy of the record, but was still rewarded with a PB.
Compatriots Telahun Haile Bekele and Yasin Haji, as well as Kenya’s Jacob Krop, ran alongside Yomif as they passed through the first kilometer in 2:32.
But Yomif soon started to make an early break, according to the World Athletics (WA) report.
By the time he reached 3km in 7:40, he had a seven-second lead over Telahun, Tesfaye Kidanu and world U20 1500m champion Reynold Kipkorir.
Yomif continued to pull away in the final two kilometers in a bid to finish inside the existing world record, but he stopped the clock at 12:50.
Nevertheless, he now moves up to second on the world all-time list – one place above Joshua Cheptegei – after winning the race by 14 seconds.
Kipkorir finished second in 13:04 from Bekele (13:07).
Kenya’s Caroline Nyaga won the women’s race, getting the better of world steeplechase bronze medallist Mekides Abebe at the finish, both athletes clocking 14:35. Doris Cherop was third in 14:40.
In other race in Lille, Gemechu Dida won the men’s half marathon in a tight race with Emmanuel Kiprop, 27:12 to 27:13. The women’s race was similarly close as Dorcas Kimeli finished two seconds ahead of fellow Kenyan Mercyline Cherono in 30:48.
In the Rome Marathon, Fozya Amid and Zinash Getachew finished second and third as Kenyan Betty Chepkwony took the women’s title, smashing her PBs by seven minutes to win at the World Athletics Elite Label road race on Sunday.
Morocco’s Taoufik Allam won the men’s title in 2:07:43, becoming the first Moroccan winner of the Rome Marathon.
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