Kenyan athlete Judith Jeptum on Sunday, April 3, set a new record in the women's 42-kilometer Paris Marathon.
Jeptum crossed the finish line after 2 hours 19 minutes and 48 seconds beating the previous time of 2:20:55 set by Purity Rionoripoin 2017 by 67 seconds. The time also becomes her new personal best.
The 26-year-old athlete celebrated her victory while admitting that the early morning weather conditions posed a slight challenge.
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"The conditions were tough but I am happy with what I did today," the athlete noted in an interview after the race.
At the 30 kilometer mark, Jeptum broke away from the group of athletes that saw her finish 3 minutes ahead of Ethiopian Fantu Jimma from who came second with 2:22:52. Beau Sado, was third thirty seconds later.
Notably, Jeptum was the only Kenyan who secured a podium finish in the race. Having bagged gold, she will walk away with a Ksh7.2 million (USD63,000) prize money.
Ethiopians Deso Gelmisa and 2021 Chicago Marathon Winner Seifu Tura bagged gold and silver respectively in the men's race.
Gelmisa completed the race in 2hours, 5 minutes, and seven seconds setting a personal best. Tura set a time of 2:05:10 while Frenchman Moorhad Amdouni clocked 2:05:22, setting a new national record.
Hillary Kipsambu, the fastest Kenyan athlete in the men's race came in sixth, one minute 46 seconds behind the winner.
Jeptum's performance in Paris is an improvement from Ras Al Khaimah half-marathon in the United Arab Emirates, where she finished in fourth place, clocking 1:05:28.
The long-distance runner is ranked 35th globally in the women's marathon and position 287 in the women's overall ranking with a score of 1,253 points.