NEW YORK — Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor broke the world half-marathon record by 17 seconds in Copenhagen on Sunday when he won the IAAF Gold Label road race with a time of 58 minutes and one second.

The 26-year-old made a winning return to the Danish capital, where he won his first world half-marathon title in 2014, breaking the previous record of 58:18 set by compatriot Abraham Kiptum in Valencia last year.

"It is very emotional for me to set this record," Kamworor was quoted as saying by the IAAF. "And doing it in Copenhagen, where I won my first world title, adds something to it."

Kenya's Bernard Kipkorir finished second with a time of 59:16 while Ethiopia's Berehanu Wendemu Tsegu was third a further six seconds behind.

Kamworor was initially behind the world-record pace in the first five kilometers before he pulled ahead to finish the final 11 km without any rivals to push him.

Heavy rain in the latter stages of the race slowed him down a notch after he set a record pace to reach the 15-km mark but he was still fast enough to break the world record. — Reuters