The Nagoya Women’s Marathon has become the largest women’s race in the world. And since last year, the best pay, even above the men’s competitions (250,000 dollars). It also has a queen, Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich, who defended her crown and won again on Sunday in the prefectural capital of Aichi.
Born on August 12, 1994 in the Rift Valley province, Chepngetich is one of the best runners in the world, having won 8 marathons and 8 half marathons. And he was no exception in Japanese lands.
The African athlete conquered the World Athletics Platinum Label race in a time of 2:18:08. Although he failed to surpass his best time of 2:17:18 set last year, his overwhelming superiority was demonstrated on the streets of Nagoya. Second place went to Ayuko Suzuki (2:21:52), followed by Honami Maeda (2:22:32) in third place. The Japanese, both Olympic athletes, improved their personal bests.
The 2022 Chicago champion (she completed the race in 2:14:18, the second fastest women’s marathon ever) jumped out of the first pack early in the race and took sole possession of the lead at an even faster pace fast last year . After 30km, her unseasonably warm weather slowed her down a bit, but she continued her powerful stride to cross the finish line faster than runner-up Ayuko Suzuki by over 3.5 minutes, showing her class. .
Chepngetich, who became the grand prize winner of the world’s largest marathon for the second year in a row, said: ‘It was a challenge to run on my own, but I’m proud of my career. Thank you to the fans and everyone for the support I received.” .
In addition to the competitive elite race, many runners have joined the world’s largest women’s marathon from home and abroad, bringing the total number of participants to 12,387. All finalists received the symbol of the event, a pendant from Tiffany & Co.
It was the first time in four years that the Nagoya Women’s Marathon was held completely open to non-elite national and international runners, following the Japanese government’s decision to lift Covid-related border restrictions last fall. .
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.