Kenyans Dominate Sierre-Zinal; Kiriago Wins Third Title, Florea Takes Women's Race

Kenyan athlete Philemon Kiriago triumphed for the third time at the prestigious Sierre-Zinal mountain race, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 24 seconds. The 23-year-old runner, who celebrated his birthday days later, narrowly missed breaking the course record set by Kilian Jornet in 2024.

Kiriago's dominant performance saw two other Kenyan runners, Patrick Kipngeno and Michael Saoli, secure second and third place, respectively. The best-performing Swiss athlete, 24-year-old Nathan Wanner from Valais, finished 14th, over 10 minutes behind the winner. This year's event did not feature Jornet, who holds the fastest time on the course.

In the women's competition, Romanian runner Madalina Florea claimed victory with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 44 seconds. She was followed by Kenya's Caroline Kimutai, last year's winner, and Britain's Morven Goodrun. Oria Liaci, a 24-year-old from Martigny in Valais, also achieved a notable fourth-place finish, breaking the three-hour mark with a time of 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 36 seconds, improving on her own fourth-place finish from the previous year.