Athletics: Smith wins in personal best time

Kimberley Smith. Photo / Herald on Sunday

New Zealand runner Kimberley Smith blitzed a quality field to win a prestigious 10km road race in London yesterday.

Smith beat her personal best time over the distance by nearly 40s to win the Bupa London 10,000 in an outstanding 31m 38s.

Briton Hatti Dean, who clocked 33m 52s, finished second, while Olympic marathon champion Constantina Dita of Romania was third.

Smith, 27, blasted clear at the start line and ran on her own, unchallenged, in front of tightly-packed crowds on the streets of central London.

"I'm feeling pretty fit right now and that felt very comfortable," the United States-based athlete said.

"I wanted to make a good impression out there.

"I knew Constantina was feeling a little tired after the Olympics so I thought it's a good chance to beat someone who's an amazing runner."

Smith, who was ninth in the 10,000m at last year's Beijing Olympics, is showing excellent form ahead of the August world championships in Berlin.

In March, she set the fourth fastest 5000m indoor time in history at a meet in New York.

The men's race was won by British athlete Mo Farah, who broke the British 10km record in a time of 27m 50s. He headed Kenyan Samuel Kosgei by 13s.

- NZPA