Kosgei shatters record
Kenya’s Brigid breaks Radcliffe’s 16-year-old marathon time barrier
Chicago, Oct. 14: Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei shattered Paula Radcliffe’s 16-yearold world record Sunday, winning the Chicago Marathon in two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds.
Kosgei broke the mark of 2:15:25 set by Radcliffe in the London Marathon on April 13, 2003 as she won in Chicago for the second straight year.
Kosgei, the 25-year-old who also won in London in April and clocked the fastest half-marathon in history this year of 1:04:28 at the Great North Run.
Lawrence Cherono made it a Kenyan double with victory in the men’s race, as Mo Farah finished a distant eighth to end a week when he hit back at critics over his work with disgraced coach Alberto Salazar. Kosgei crossed the finish line alone.
“I’m happy and I feel good. People were cheering all along the course, which gave me more energy. I felt my body was moving, moving, moving so I went for it,” Kosgei said.
While the IAAF called the 2:17:01 clocked by Mary Jepkosgei Keitany at the 2017 London Marathon a “women only” world record posted without male pace-setters, it’s Radcliffe’s mark — so long untouchable — that has been the grail for female marathon runners.
Radcliffe had also held the Chicago course record of 2:17:18 — set in winning the 2002 race in what was then a world record.
Kosgei’s performance continued a remarkable weekend in the punishing event, coming a day after fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to break two hours at the distance when he clocked 1hr 59min 40.2sec in a Vienna park.