Samwel Mailu leads Kenyan 1-2-3 sweep as he successfully defends Hamburg 21k title

Kenya’s Samwel Mailu and Kenyan-born Israeli Lorna Salpeter are the winners of the 2023 Hamburg Half Marathon.

Mailu, 30, successfully defended his title after putting up a good fight to outsmart his compatriots Edwin Kipruto and Jonathan Korir. Mailu clocked 1:01:09 to cut the tape ahead of Kipruto who clocked 1:01:34. Korir finished third in 1:02:52 to make the men’s race a 1-2-3 Kenyan sweep.

He oozed experience and class as he crossed the half km mark in 30:22 leading the pack of more than four men. In the second half of the race, he looked poised and ready to go for the title, which he did as he cruised smoothly to the finish line.

On his part, Kiputo came from fifth to take second place as Korir maintained his third place from gun to tape.

In the women’s race, Salpeter was also in a class of her own as she smoothly ran towards the finish line and cut the tape in 1:10:05 ahead of Kenya’s Naom Jebet who timed 1:10:06. Spain’s Meritxell Soler sealed the podium after clocking 1:11:56.

The race was a battle between Salpeter and Jebet as they went head-to-head until the last few meters to the finish where the Israeli outsmarted Jebet to carry the day.