Given the challenging conditions, the women’s marathon emerged as a test of endurance than time and pace, with Ruth Chepngetich staying true to her top billing at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at the Corniche in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The Kenyan, who had run the third fastest time of all time (2:17:08) in January this year, stayed in the leading pack for much of the six laps of the looped circuit at the floodlit course in the Qatari capital, before building a minute-plus gap in the final kilometre, winning the race in two hours 32 minutes and 43 seconds.
Defending champion Rose Chelimo, who had stayed on Chepngetich at the 41-km mark along with former world champion from Kenya, Edna Kiplagat, finished 63 seconds behind the eventual winner, even as veteran Kiplagat, who turns 40 in November, missed out on a medal by 51 seconds as Helalia Johannes of Namibia took third in 2:34:15.
“The race was tough but I didn’t give up. I couldn’t let it out of my mind that I could be the winner,” Chepngetich said after her victory in a race that saw 28 athletes out of 68 starters fail to finish.
“I only used water. I forced myself to drink it and also used the sponge to help make me cooler.
“At one point it felt tough but I made up my mind not to give up. I just wanted it so much because I worked for it in training.”
Chelimo said that she had to brush aside thoughts of stopping and the fact that she was in the leading pack helped her stay right till the end.
“I think the way they planned it, it was OK. They decided to hold it at night because it was too hot during the day,” Chelimo said.
“I saw some other competitors had stopped but I was near the front and trying my best to keep going.”
Third-placed Johannes added: “The race was not very easy because of the weather and I can’t say I enjoyed it. I just tried my best because in my mind I had a song saying I must keep going until I finish the event.”
During the race I drank a lot because I was afraid of being dehydrated. I made sure I didn’t miss any water points.”
The top ten finishers sealed their spot for the Tokyo Olympic Games next year.
European champion Volha Mazuronak of Belarus was fifth in 2:36:21. American 41-year-old Roberta Groner claimed sixth place in 2:38:44, one place ahead of Japan’s Mizuki Tanimoto.
Lyndsay Tessier (2:42:03) of Canada finished ninth, splitting two North Koreans - Ji Hyang Kim (2:41:24) and Un Ok Jo (2:42:23).