One-time World Athletics Championship gold medalist Ruth Chepngetich on Saturday, December 10, failed to triumph at the 2022 Jeddah Half Marathon staged in Saudi Arabia.
Chepngetich, who was the favorite going into the race, was beaten by the former national 10,000m champion Irene Chepchumba Kamais to the title.
Kamais clocked 1:06.47 to win the race ahead of Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu.
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Alemu, the reigning Seville Marathon champion, reached the finishing line in a time of 1:07.18.
Chepngetich, on the other hand, settled for a third-place position ahead of the Ethiopian duo of Tsige G’selama and Buyenu Degefa.
She clocked 1:07.53, three seconds slower than the previous world record of 1:04.02 she set in 2021 at the Turkish-based Istanbul Half Marathon.
The 28-year-old came close to breaking the full marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 9, 2022, when she clocked in at 02:14.18.
The time that Ruth clocked in the streets of Chicago is the fastest registered by a female athlete this year.
The Ngong-based road race runner narrowly missed the current world record of 02:14.04 set by compatriot Brigid Kosgei in 2019.
In the men’s category, Kenya’s Eric Kiplagat Sang reigned supreme in a time of 00:59.00 ahead of Samwel Nyamae and Kinde Atanaw.
Nyamae and Atanaw clocked 00:60.50 and 00:61.04 respectively.
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