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Hong Kong-raised Jake Smith stunned after record-breaking finish at the World Half Marathon Championships

  • Team GB starlet beats previous PB by 89 seconds; becomes third-fastest British half-marathon runner in history
  • The 22-year-old, who spent 16 years in Hong Kong, turns attention to 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualification

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Jake Smith finishes third at the 2020 Vitality Big Half in London in March. Photo: James Rhodes
Andrew McNicol

Hong Kong-raised Jake Smith was left in total disbelief after smashing his personal best (PB) and breaking several records at the 2020 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland on Saturday.

On his senior Great Britain debut, the 22-year-old finished 18th in just 60:31.00, officially becoming the third-fastest British half-marathon runner – only behind Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins – of all time. He also set a new record for his Welsh national team.

Smith – who was the second European to finish the race – cut his PB by a whopping 89 seconds. He had earned a spot at the Championships after clocking 62:00.00 at the Vitality Big Half in London in March, becoming the reigning British U-23s half-marathon record-holder. The latest time means he has broken that record for the third time this year.

“I still can’t believe what has just happened to get in the mix with the top guys at the World Half Marathon Championships,” Smith said in an Instagram post. “Thank you for all the support on and off the course. To come away with a massive PB is something else and not sure I have ever cried that much after a race.”

 
Smith, who spent 16 years in Hong Kong and previously ran under its colours at the Southeast Asian Championships at youth level, has since opted to represent Wales on a national and Commonwealth level.
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