Kenyan two-time world 5000m champion, Hellen Obiri, on Sunday, broke the United Airlines NYC Half record in New York City, with a time of 1:07:21.

Obiri who was locked in a tight race with Ethiopia’s 2015 world silver medallist, Senbere Teferi, for much of the race, broke away from the defending champion just before 15km to win in an event.

Obiri and Teferi made an early break from the rest of the field and by the time they reached 5km (15:50), the duo had already reached a 22-second margin over Diane van Es of the Netherlands, who led a small chase pack.

Teferi who gave Obiri a run for the title for a large part of the race, tucked behind the Kenyan all through 10km (31:29).

But as they started to approach the 15km marker, Teferi’s challenge began to fade, giving Obiri the chance to forged on ahead and cross the line in 1:07:21 to take 14 seconds off the event record Teferi set last year.

Teferi had to settle for second place on this occasion, clocking 1:07:55, while European cross-country champion, Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal, came third in 1:09:53.

Speaking after the race, Obiri who was the 2019 world cross-country champion, said:

“I’m so grateful to have won this race. There was a lot of wind, but I tried to push the pace after 15km.”

“My mind was just on winning and not the time, because it is a hard course. I still wanted to run sub-70, so I’m happy to have done that and to have won today.”

Nigerian UFC fighter, Kamaru Usman, on Sunday morning, failed in another bid to reclaim his welterweight title from champion after losing to his conqueror, Leon Edwards, in a
unanimous decision.

This loss would be the third the “Nigerian Nightmare” will be suffering in the hands of Edwards in his quest to take back his title.

The much anticipated Edwards vs. Usman 3 was the main event at UFC 286, with the Jamaican-born Edwards proving that his previous wins over the Nigerian in August 2022 was no fluke.

A report by Yahoo Sports said “Edwards out-landed Usman 120-87 in significant strikes and landed 74 per cent of his significant strikes. Usman attempted 15 takedowns but landed only four and could do little with them.”

“Though Edwards admitted afterwards that the fight was his hardest to date, Usman was not as good as he was last August until the late head kick knocked him out,” it added.

The defeat also means that Usman has now lost two consecutive fights for the first time in his professional career and it is hard where he will go from here.

In the post-match interview in the ring, Usman said he believed he had done enough to have won.

“I think it was a close fight. Great game plan; you know, I have always said it from the start, I will see Edwards again. We did it and I am not done,” Usman, who now has a 20-4 win-loss record, said.

“I have always given him props for all that he has been able to accomplish and just like me, he is a brother like myself and much respect. London, you have got a hell of a guy, a great champion.”

“I will get back with my coaches because you know, I am one of that guys-I can’t sit for too long,” he said when asked of his future plans.