SA athlete Stephen Mokoka breaks 50km world record

Mokoka's time of 2:40:13 has been recognised as the world record by World Athletics.

WORLD RECORD ??Stephen Mokoka ???? breaks the world 50km record at the Nedbank #Runified 50km in Gqeberha, South Africa!For his racing debut on the distance, the three-time Olympian crosses the finish line in 2:40:13 ??*subject to ratification

Mokoka, a three-time Olympian, has been running marathons for more than a decade but made history in his first 50km race.

He won by almost four minutes and improved the inaugural world 50km record of 2:42:07 that had been set by Ethiopia's Ketema Negasa at the same event last year.

"I'm tired," Mokoka, 37, said in his post-race interview. "It's a long way and I don't know how I'm going to feel later, but I enjoyed it."

Mokoka has won national titles in his career, ranging from 1 500m up to the marathon. His marathon best is 2:07:40 from Shanghai in 2015, while he set the South African half marathon record when running 59:36 to place seventh at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia.

SA's Tete Dijana was runner-up to Mokoka, clocking 2:44:08, with compatriot and 2019 Comrades winner, Edward Mothibi, third in 2:45:27.

Given the increasing popularity of 50km road races, the decision to add the distance to the list of events for which world records are recognised was made at the World Athletics Council meeting in Tokyo in July. Negasa's 2:42:07 was then ratified as the inaugural men's world 50km record at the start of this year, while the 3:04:24 run by South Africa's Irvette van Zyl in the same 2021 event was ratified as the world 50km record for a women-only race.

In Sunday's women's race, Ethiopia's Amelework Fikadu Bosho won in a dominant time of 3:04:58.

Kenya's Shelmith Muriuki was second in