Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich shattered the women’s marathon world record by almost two minutes on Sunday, winning in Chicago in 2 h 09 min 57 sec.
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Ruth Chepngetich became, this Sunday in Chicago, the first woman to break the barrier of 2h10′ in a marathon. The old world record was held by the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa, who completed the 42.195 km in 2 h 11 min 53 sec on September 24, 2023 in Berlin.
Among the men, his compatriot John Korir won, detached, in 2h 2 min 43 sec, succeeding world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died in February at the age of 23 in a road accident.
“ I dedicate this record to Kelvin (Kiptum), he also broke a world record here and he could have broken one again “, said Chepngetich after the finish.
“ I am very proud of myself. I had this world record in mind, it was my dream, and today everything was perfect: the weather, and my preparation. »
Chepngetich, aged 30, achieved an extraordinary feat, running the entire race at a pace never before approached by women.
At the 10th km, she was on the basis of 2h07:30, before slowing down very slightly, to become the first woman in history to go below the symbolic bar of 2h10.
The 2019 marathon world champion, she had already won the Chicago Marathon twice, in 2021 and 2022. Her personal best over the distance was 2h14:18.