Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya smashed the world record by nearly two minutes at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, winning in 2:09:56.
The 30-year-old broke the world record set by Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia in 2:11:53 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. Sutume Asefa Kebede of Ethiopia finished second in 2:17:32.
Chepngetich became the first woman to break 2:10 in the marathon. She also won the Chicago Marathon in 2021 and 2022 and finished runner-up last year.
WORLD RECORD ‼️‘s Ruth Chepngetich destroys the marathon world record in Chicago with an incredible 2:09:57
That’s almost 2 minutes faster than the previous world record
She finishes in 10th place overall of the @ChiMarathon pic.twitter.com/ftM1J0j1F1
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) October 13, 2024
John Korir of Kenya won the men’s race in 2:02:44, besting Huseydin Mohamed Esa of Ethiopia, who finished in 2:04:39. Korir and Chepngetich ran in honor of the late Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya, who broke the world record by 34 seconds, finishing in 2:00:35, at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
Four months later, police said the 24-year-old Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, died in a car accident after hitting a tree near a training area in Kaptagat, Kenya.
Organizers held a moment of silence for Kiptum before the race and offered the nearly 50,000 runners a memorial sticker to add to their bibs. The 26.2-mile race started and ended in Grant Park.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - Associated Press)
