No Wander he’s Europe’s 10km champ
Swiss runner breaks Mo Farah’s record, which stood since 2010, at FNB Durban 10K CitySurfRun
SWISS sensation Julien Wanders smashed Mo Farah’s 10km record (set in 2010) at the second annual FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN on Sunday, making him the fastest European over 10km.
When Wanders crossed the finish line on the promenade of Durban in second place (behind Ugandan, Joshua Cheptegei), he punched the air in ecstasy as the diminutive Swiss sensation had obliterated his best ever time over 10km and had not only dipped under 28 minutes, but had smashed that mark as well. Wanders was timed at 27:32, an improvement of 30 seconds. Little did he know that he was now also the fastest European of all time over 10km. His 27:32 is in fact not only a new Swiss national record, but also a European record.
The previous record of 27:44 has stood behind the name of Mo Farah since 2010. Farah ran the time in London on 31 May at the Bupa London Road Race.
Wanders was brought to the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN in October 2017 as part of a group of athletes that included the then 10 000m World Championships silver medallist, Joshua Cheptegei. He reduced his lifetime best and the Swiss national record by finishing third.
Coming into the race his best time was 28:02 run in France in December 2017. During the 2018 track and early road season, Wanders had started to push some boundaries, setting personal bests. It started with the Barcelona Half Marathon where he finished second smashing his previous best of 61:43 by over 90 seconds. A string of PBs then followed on the track. Wanders twice improved his 1500m time (3:44.24 – Bern, 16 June and 3:43.39 – Zoffingen, 14 July). His 3000m best was also lowered to 7:50.35 in July (Bellinzona), before Wanders took his 5000m best time down from 13:27.72 to 13:24.79.
All this boded well for his return to Durban on 14 October. All the signs were there, that Wanders was going to make a statement at the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN. At the pre-race press conference Wanders oozed confidence. He was calmly talking about breaking 28 minutes for the first time. When an athlete feels good it is evident in how they carry themselves. While Wanders was sharing the stage with Joshua Cheptegei who was expected to go even faster than his best from 2017 (27:28), Wanders made it clear he was not there to make up the numbers.
On race day, Wanders was the only athlete to be able to hold onto the pace set by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei. Only at the 8km, covered in 21:51, did Wanders start to falter. But by then it was clear something special was on the cards. And as Wanders crossed the finish line the clock read 27:32 and history was made. His average pace per kilometre amounted to 2:43!
*Other records that were broken on race day were: Men SA All comers record – Joshua Cheptegei, 27:16 (also a Uganda National record and the second fastest time in the world in 2018); Uganda women’s national record 31:14, Stella Chesang.