Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei breaks women’s world marathon record

Brigid Kosgei wins the Chicago Marathon in 2:14:04, shaving more than a minute from the previous mark.

2019 Chicago Marathon
Kosgei arrived in Chicago as an overwhelming favourite, having won the race in 2018 [Quinn Harris/Getty Images/AFP]

Kenyan runner Brigid Kosgei has broken a long-standing world record by winning the women’s event of the Chicago Marathon in two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds.

The 25-year-old Kosgei bested the previous mark of 2:15:25 set by Britain’s Paula Radcliffe in London 16 years ago. 

“I’m feeling good and I am happy because I was not expected to run like this,” Kosgei said after the race on Sunday.

“If a lady can prepare good and they have no injury… they can reduce to 2:12 or one minute to 2:13,” she told a news conference.

Kosgei’s run came little more than 24 hours after fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run 26.2 miles in less than two hours, clocking 1:59:41 in Vienna.

Unlike Kipchoge’s performance, however, Kosgei’s mark was set in an official race on a record-eligible course.

Radcliffe first set a world record at Chicago in 2002 before besting her own mark a year later in London.

“It was 17 years ago exactly today that I set the first world record here in Chicago,” said Radcliffe, who attended Sundays’ race. “That was a special day for me today and it’s a very special day for Brigid today.”

Kosgei, who also won this year’s London Marathon in 2:18:20, set a fast early pace but slowed a bit after the halfway mark.

190928072142268

She was waving to the crowd as she approached the finish line, nearly seven minutes ahead of runners following her.

Ababel Yeshaneh and Gelete Burka, both of Ethiopia, finished second and third. Yeshaneh’s time was 2:20:51 and Burka’s was 2:20:55

The men’s race was won by Boston Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono of Kenya in 2:05:45, who out-sprinted Ethiopia’s Dejene Debela to win by a second. Asefa Mengstu was third in 2:05:48.

Britain’s Mo Farah, the defending men’s champion, had a bitterly disappointing race to finish eighth in 2:09:58.

Source: News Agencies