Kenya's Chepngetich Breaks Women's World Record at Chicago Marathon

Ruth Chepngetich, a 30-year-old athlete from Kenya, shattered the women's world record by nearly two minutes on Sunday, securing victory at the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds. Her performance was motivated by the memory of the late Kelvin Kiptum.

Chepngetich made history as the first woman to win the Chicago Marathon three times, surpassing the previous world record of 2:11:53, which was established by Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa in Berlin last year.

"I feel incredible and am proud of my achievement. This is a dream realized," Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion, expressed. "I have worked hard, always keeping the world record in my thoughts, and now I have achieved it."

Having previously triumphed in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, Chepngetich dedicated her latest accomplishment to Kiptum, who set the men's world record at last year's event before tragically passing away in a car accident at the age of 24.

"The world record has returned to Kenya, and I dedicate this achievement to Kelvin Kiptum," Chepngetich stated.

In tribute to Kiptum, runners observed a moment of silence at the start line. Organizers distributed stickers featuring Kiptum's record-breaking time of 2:00:35 for the 50,000 participants to affix to their race bibs.

With the absence of Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, Chepngetich set a rapid pace from the outset, reaching the halfway mark in 1:04:16, which ranks as the fifth-fastest half marathon time recorded by a woman.

"The weather was ideal, and I was well-prepared. The world record was always in my mind," Chepngetich remarked.

Ethiopian Sutume Kebede, a former training partner of Kiptum, fought hard to keep pace with Chepngetich but gradually fell behind. At one point, Chepngetich appeared poised to break the world record by more than three minutes. Although she slowed in the final kilometers, she still finished with a personal best, improving her time by over five minutes.

Kebede finished in second place with a time of 2:17:32, while Kenyan Irine Cheptai secured third with a time of 2:17:51.

SportsLigue