The marathon world record set by legendary athlete Eliud Kipchoge on Sunday, September 25, 2022, has finally been ratified by the World Athletics.
Kipchoge’s record was ratified alongside two other World Records set by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and the high flying 4 x 100m relay team from Jamaica.
“Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 marathon world record, along with world U20 records set last year by 100m sprinter Letsile Tebogo and Jamaica’s 4x100m team, have been ratified.
“Double Olympic champion Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon last year, taking 30 seconds off the marathon world record he had set in the same city on 16 September 2018,” part of the statement from the world governing body read.
Tebogo broke the 100m world under 20 record when he clocked 9.91 seconds at the youth championships staged in Cali, Colombia on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.
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On the other hand, the Jamaican relay team destroyed the 4 x 100m relay world record at the same event when they won the race in a time of 42.59. The team comprised Tina Clayton, Tia Clayton, Kerrica Hill, and Serena Cole.
People may be wondering why it took more than three months for the above world records to be approved.
TeamKenya.co.ke has compiled two main reasons that make the ratification of world records take so long.
The marathon course must be measured
According to the World Athletics rules, the marathon course of a road race where an athlete, in this case, Eliud Kipchoge, set a new record must be measured by one or more grade B or A measurers from the Association of International Marathons (AIMS).
The course measurer must then validate that the athlete ran on the measured course. They usually do so by riding in a lead vehicle.
An athlete must pass doping tests.
Like in any other sport, athletes are required not to use performance-enhancement drugs.
Therefore, runners must undergo a doping test, which in most cases is done before and after the race to ensure every one of them competes clean.
In-competition testing is done before the race starts while out-of-competition testing is usually conducted weeks or even months after a race because some of the prohibited substances may not be detected during the first testing.
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