Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich broke the world record to win the Chicago Marathon last week.
The 30-year-old clocked a time of two hours, nine minutes and 57 seconds to surpass Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s previous record by nearly two minutes. Chepngetich is the first woman to run a marathon in under two hours and 10 minutes.
Assefa set the previous record with victory at the 2023 Berlin Marathon in two hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds.
I feel so great, I’m proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true,” said Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion.
“I’ve fought a lot thinking about the world record and I have fulfilled it.”
Victory for Chepngetich is her third in Chicago, where she missed out on breaking compatriot Brigid Kosgei’s then-world record by 14 seconds in 2022.
Four of the five fastest women’s marathon times have been run on the flat Chicago course over the last six years.
(BBC sport)
