Yangzhou, Apr 23 (IANS): Course record holder Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia completed his title hat-trick at the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon, an IAAF gold label race, here on Sunday after a breathtaking four-man battle in front of the finish.

Four runners were shoulder-to-shoulder with five hundred metres to go before the finish line, and the 25-year-old Geremew, who set the course record of 59 minutes 52 second in Yangzhou two years ago, outraced the other three runners to take his third straight title in 1:00:56, reports Xinhua news agency.

Kenyan Leonard Kipkoech Langat, who also clocked 1:00:56, finished second with a deficit of 0.15 seconds. Asian record holder Abraham Cheroben of Bahrain finished third in 1:00:57.

The women's race was won by Sutume Asefa of Ethiopia, who clocked 1:10:30 to break the tape in style. Her compatriot Ababel Yeshaneh trailed eight seconds to finish runner-up.

Kirghizistan's Daria Maslova clocked a national record of 1:11:06 for the third place.

A total of 18,000 runners competed in the half marathon event on Sunday and some 17,000 took part in the spin-off 10km and 6.2km races.