Two-time Olympian Dominique Scott-Efurd clocked a huge personal best in finishing third at the Houston Half-Marathon, when she produced the second-fastest time ever by a South African women’s athlete over 21.1km.
The 29-year-old competed in the 5 000 and 10 000m at the Tokyo Olympics, but showed her quality on the road over the longer distance in Houston, on a chilly, windy (20km/h) morning. Her 67min 32sec finish split the two best times ever recorded by South Africans – Elana Meyer’s 66:44 from 1999 and Colleen De Reuck’s 68:38 in 1989.
Kenya’s Vicoty Chepngeno crossed the line first in Houston in 65:03, followed by American Sara Hall (67:15), which was 10 seconds off Molly Huddle’s American record.
Scott was in a group who went through the 15km mark in 47:51 (67:18 pace) and she held on courageously over the final 6km to carve more than three minutes off her previous best.
It was a history-making race as Fiona O’Keeffe ran the fastest debut half marathon ever by an American to finish fourth with Emile Durgin clocking 67:54 for sixth. O’Keeffe and Durgin both moved into the top six on the all-time US list, meaning half of the top six performances in US history were set in Houston.
Pic: Dominique Scott-Efurd’s Instagram