An Australian teenager has reportedly set a half-marathon world record for a 13-year-old after he finished 11th out of almost 2000 finishers in the 21 km Brisbane Half Marathon in 1hr 18min 53sec.
According to the Courier Mail, 13-year-old Jacob Bragg's name now sits alongside some of the greats of distance running like Ethiopian legend Haile Gebreselasie and Kenya's marathon world record holder Patrick Makau, ahead of the World Championships in Russia.
The report also said that Bragg, who finished third in the 1500 metres at the Australian junior titles in Perth in March, was with the lead pack for much of the road race, astonishing his seasoned rivals and even his coach with his ability to push himself to the limit.
Believing that there may have been a mistake when the teenager clocked the miles in the race, veteran distance coach and Bragg's mentor Brian Chapman said that he thought that the teenager might have tired out after 10 km.
Bragg, who is a promising cross country runner, took up running two years ago and has been an instant hit, with the report adding that he will contest the national championships in Tasmania next month.
