Recordsetter keen to go quicker yet
CHICAGO: Like any true competitor, Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei does not plan to coast on her latest accomplishment — even if that happens to be running the fastestever women’s marathon.
Hours after shattering Paula Radcliffe’s 16yearold world record, running the Chicago Marathon in 2hr 14min 4sec, the 25yearold said she believes any number of competitors could beat her.
‘‘If a lady can prepare good and they have no injury... they can reduce to reduce to 2:12 or one minute to 2:13,’’ Kosgei said.
But while she stopped short of pointing to a 2:10:00 marathon for herself, she made clear that her sole goal is getting even faster.
‘‘I’m still focusing to reduce my time again — if it’s possible.
‘‘If my body would be good [I could] reduce little by little, slowly.’’
While her yeartoyear career improvement could hardly be described as slow, it has been steady. In 2017 and 2018 she finished the Chicago Marathon in 2hr 20min 22sec and 2hr 18min 35sec, respectively, after logging a yearend best time of 2hr 24min 45sec at Lisbon in 2016.
The 25yearold arrived in Chicago as an overwhelming favourite, having won the race in 2018. Last month she clinched the unofficial best women’s half marathon time of 1hr 4min 28sec at the Great North Run and earlier this year she became the youngest woman to win the London Marathon.
Her confidence showed from the start, when she set an aggressive pace of 3hr 5min 59sec per kilometre in the first 5km, causing commentators to fret that she had perhaps overextended herself.
‘‘I was too fast because I wanted to leave the group and focus. I come here to run my own pace. I don’t depend on someone,’’ she said.
Kenyan Lawrence Cherono sprinted past Ethiopian Dejene Debela to win the men’s race in 2hr 5min 45sec but British defending champion Mo Farah could finish only eighth, in 2hr 9min 58sec and another former winner, Galen Rupp, failed to finish.
The time was Farah’s slowest in a marathon by more than a minute. — Reuters