Latvian runner Medveds cuts national record by 10 seconds at World Championships

At the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Latvian athlete Artūrs Niklāvs Medveds crossed the finish line of the 5-kilometre race on Saturday in 13 minutes and 30 seconds, taking 19th place and improving his previous Latvian record by ten seconds. Fifty-one athletes took part in the event, and among European runners Medveds posted the seventh-fastest time.

Men's 5km winners

In the men's race, Davit Seare of Eritrea won with a new national record of 12 minutes and 56 seconds, finishing three seconds ahead of Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Seare's compatriot Samuel Amanuel finished one second further back in third, while Australia's Kai Robinson took fourth with a regional record, four seconds behind the podium. In the women's race, Ethiopia's Likina Amebaw won the title, finishing in 14 minutes and 41 seconds.

Latvians also competed in the mile

In the men's mile, Germany's Robert Farken won in three minutes 51.8 seconds. Latvia's Roberts Aleksis Glazers finished in four minutes 10.1 seconds, placing 45th, while Ņikita Bogdanovs completed the distance in four minutes 20.28 seconds for 54th place among 58 competitors. In the women's mile, France's Agathe Guillemot was unbeaten, finishing in four minutes 22.74 seconds, while Latvia's Līga Velvere-Krūmiņa placed 46th out of 48 runners with a time of five minutes 28.35 seconds.

Medals in the half marathon will be decided on Sunday. This road running format of the World Championships was first held in Riga in 2023.