Eritrea, Kenya Triumph at Men's World Half Marathon Champs in Bulgaria

Zersenay Tadese from Eritrea won the men's race at the the 20th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships taking place Saturday in Kavarna, north-eastern Bulgaria.

Tadese, holder of the half marathon world record, won his 5th world championship title with 60 min 19 sec.

Secon came out Deressa Chimsa from Ethiopia with 60 min 51 sec, while the third place fell to Kenya's John Mwangagi with 61 min 01 sec.

Kenya, however, won the world championships team contest, followed by Eritrea and Ethiopia.

In the women's team race, Ethiopia came out first, with two of its athletes winning the first two spots, followed by Kenya and Japan.

Bulgaria remained 14th in the men's team contest, ahead of only Brazil, with the best Bulgarian men's athletes finishing 62th, 70th, 73th, and 78th.

IAAF's president, former athletics star Sergei Bubka, as well as Bulgaria's Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, along with Bulgarian athletes, were honorary guests at the championship and took part in the awards ceremony.

The course in the small north-eastern Bulgarian towns is hard, featuring many turns, and the weather Saturday was not nice on the athletes, with unusually high temperatures and high humidity.