after taking second place. Kitwara and Kipruto were third and fourth, sealing the Kenyan team victory, while Samuel Tsegay's fifth place helped Eritrea to the team silver. The win continued Kiprop's meteoric rise of 2010 – a year in which he had gone from a low-profile circuit runner to the 10,000 metres Kenyan and African champion, with a sub-60 minute half marathon best after wins in Paris and Lille. Silver medallist Zersenay received some consolation as he was given the AIMS/Citizen World's Fastest Time Award days after the competition in respect of his position as world record holder, becoming only the second half marathon athlete to be selected for the accolade after Lornah Kiplagat. There were no surprise breakthroughs in the men's race as all the top performers were those predicted to make an impact before the race. However, there were some other achievements of note including: Kitwara's first individual medal for Kenya, personal bests for Birhanu Bekele and Tomoya Onishi in eighth and ninth place respectively, and (much further back in the field) a national record for Bhutanese racer Passang Passang. Men's results Totals: 68 starters, 68 finishers, 26 nations represented, 11 national teams ranked. Women's race The provisional favourite for the women's race was Kenyan runner Florence Kiplagat, who was the fastest entrant in the field through her win at the Lille Half Marathon in September (also her debut for the distance). Her compatriots Peninah Arusei and Sarah Chepchirchir – second and third in Lille – completed the strongest three of the Kenyan women's team, which was considered the team to beat for the title. The Ethiopians, led by Boston Marathon winner Dire Tune, were their main opposition for the team race, although the nation had sent relatively inexperienced runners to the championships on this occasion. China's leading athlete was Zhu Xiaolin, who despite being an established marathon runner had less experience over the half distance. Although Japan lacked a leading figure individually, their overall consistency (which had brought them team medals in the last five editions) demonstrated their team pedigree. Kenya entered the tournament as the reigning team champions. The beginning to the race highlighted the dominance of the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners as they set a high tempo from the outset. By the time the first 5 km marker was passed, Australia's Nikki Chapple was the only athlete left in the leading pack to come from