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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Kosgei thinks women can go even faster

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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 fastest-ever women’s marathon.

Hours after shattering Paula Radcliffe’s 16-year-old world record, running the Chicago Marathon in two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds, the 25-year-old 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 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,” Kosgei said. “If my body would be good (I could) reduce little by little, slowly.”


While her year-to-year career improvement could hardly be described as “slow,” it has been steady. In 2017 and 2018 she finished the Chicago Marathon in 2:20:22 and 2:18:35, respectively, after logging a year-end best time of 2:24:45 at Lisbon in 2016.


The 25-year-old arrived in the Windy City as an overwhelming favourite, having won the race in 2018.


Last month she clinched the unofficial best women’s half marathon time of 1:04:28 at the Great North Run and earlier this year she became the youngest woman to ever win the London Marathon.


Her confidence showed at the start of the race, when she set an aggressive pace of 3:05.59 minutes per kilometre in the first 5 km, causing commentators to fret that she had perhaps overextended herself.


“I was too fast because I wanted to leave the group and focus,” said Kosgei. “I come here to run my own pace, I don’t depend on someone.”


BLISTERING PACE


Former Alberto Salazar coached athletes, including Mo Farah, were never a factor in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday.


The 25-year-old Kosgei set a blistering pace from the start to run two hours, 14 minutes, four seconds and shatter Radcliffe’s previous record of 2:15:25 which the Briton set in London in April 2003.


“They (spectators) were cheering, and I got more energy to keep faster,” said Kosgei, the defending Chicago champion, who also won this year’s London Marathon.


Radcliffe witnessed the fall of her record.


“We always knew the time would come when the record would be broken,” said Radcliffe. “When I saw how fast Brigid was running in the first half of the race, I knew she had a good chance of getting the record.


“I’ve always said 17 is my lucky number and it was exactly 17 years ago to the day that I set my first world record here in Chicago.”


Kosgei’s record came a day after Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours but the mark, in Vienna, will not count for record purposes.


Ethiopians Ababel Yeshaneh and Gelete Burka finished more than six minutes behind Kosgei.


FARAH EIGHTH


Kenyan Lawrence Cherono sprinted past Ethiopian Dejene Debela to win the men’s race in two hours, five minutes, 45 seconds but British defending champion Farah placed eighth in 2:09.58 and previous winner Galen Rupp failed to finish.


The time was Farah’s slowest in a marathon by more than a minute.


Both Farah and Rupp were formerly coached by the now-banned Alberto Salazar as was American Jordan Hasay, one of the women’s favourites who also did not finish. Rupp suffered a calf strain about the sixth mile and he was forced to drop out near the 23rd mile, his management company said in a statement.


Hasay felt a sharp pain in her hamstring after two miles, stretched and tried to continue, but was unable to, the statement added.


Debela was a second behind Cherono and fellow Ethiopian Asefa Mengstu took third in 2:05:48.


“Towards the end I felt like I could kick forwards, I still had enough energy to sprint and it’s amazing,” Cherono said.


“I am so happy. It’s my second major marathon and to come only a few months after Boston is brilliant.”


American Daniel Romanchuk overwhelmed the men’s wheelchair field to defend his title in an unofficial 1:30:26.


The 21-year-old finished more than three minutes ahead of British runner-up David Weir.


Swiss Manuela Schar also retained her title, the 34-year-old winning the women’s wheelchair race in an unofficial 1:41:08.— Reuters


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