October 08, (THEWILL) – Olympic champion, Sifan Hassan, of the Netherlands denied Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich a third consecutive Chicago Marathon title on Sunday, winning the women’s race in a blistering 2 hours, 13 minutes and 44 seconds.
The middle-distance specialist took the victory in only her second ever marathon, crossing the finish line a minute and 53 seconds ahead of Chepngetich. Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu claimed third place in 2:17:09.
Hassan picked up medals in the 5,000m and 1,500m at the World Championships in August but showed no signs of fatigue in Chicago as she and Chepngetich led from the start. She pulled away from the Kenyan at 30km and had built a 30-second advantage with 10km remaining.
Powering through to the finish, Hassan collapsed to the ground after breaking the tape. Her time came two weeks after Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa broke the women’s marathon world record in Berlin in 2:11:53.
Hassan’s outstanding run was somewhat overshadowed by the men’s race, in which Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum shattered the world record in 2:00:35.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
