Kenya + Netherlands = speed. Komon runs 27:10

Utrecht, The Netherlands - Leonard Komon won the 59th edition of the Utrechtse Singelloop 10Km on Sunday clocking 27:10, the third fastest performance on the roads in 2009.

The performance by the 21-year-old Kenyan, who was ninth at the World championships in the 5000m and the silver medallist at the World Cross Country Championships earlier this year, was the sixth fastest ever.

Running in ideal conditions in this central Dutch city, Komon, a relative new kid on the block on the roads, was until the waning portion of the race on target for an assault on Micah Kogo's 27:01 World record, but faded in the final stages.

Komon is the third athlete this year to produce a fast time in The Netherlands. Kogo set his World record in Brunssum on 29 March and earlier this month, another Kenyan, Peter Kamais, clocked 27:09 in Tilburg on 6 September.

In this race through the streets of Utrecht, four athletes broke the 28:00 barrier. Vincent Yator, also of Kenya, finished second in 27:34 while Boniface Kirui came home third in 27:41. The fourth man under 28 minutes was Ethiopian Shume Gerbaba in 27:53.

Pre-race favourite Eliud Kipchoge finished sixth in 28:11, seven seconds behind Ezekiel Chebii. Kipchoge, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist in the 5000m, was with the leaders through the midway point before dropping back.

In the women's race Nadia Ejjafini of Bahrain was in a class of her own. She won handily in 32:37 and was nearly half a minute faster as Rasa Drazdauskaite (LTU), who finished second in 33:01. Kenyan Emily Chemutai was third in 34:03.

Wim van Hemert for the IAAF

Leading Results -
Men -
1. Leonard Komon, KEN 27:10
2. Vincent Yator, KEN 27:34
3. Boniface Kirui, KEN 27:41
4. Shume Gerbaba, ETH 27:53
5. Ezekiel Chibii, KEN 28:04
6. Elius Kipchoge, KEN 28:11
7. Abraham Kiplimo, KEN 28:22
8. Youssef Banniz, MAR 28:54
9. Mourad Marofit, MAR 29:13
10. Alexei Reunkov, RUS 29:14

Women -
1. Nadia Ejjafini, BRN 32:37
2. Rasa Drazdauskaite, LTU 33:01
3. Emily Chemutai, KEN 34:03
4. Merel de Knegt, NED 34:33
5. Alena Berasniova, BLR 34:43