Kenyan Athlete Vicoty Chepng'eno on Sunday morning raised Kenya’s flag high after winning the 2024 Beijing Marathon held in China.
Vicoty clocked 2 hours 21 minutes 56 seconds to win the 42 kilometers in the smog-infested city of Beijing. The marathoner kicked off strong and maintained the energy till the end of the race.
Right on her heels, she was followed by Ethiopia’s Rahma Tusa of Ethiopia with 2:24:31 and Angela Jemesunde Tanui of Kenya who crossed the finish line in a time of 2:25:41.
The 30-year-old emerged victorious on a smoggy Sunday morning in China's capital. Her commanding victory adds another medal to her Olympic career, cementing the dominance of Kenyan runners in long-distance events.
In the male category, a tight race was witnessed between the participants with only 14 seconds separating the winner and the runners-up. An Ethiopian Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the race with a 2:09:16 followed closely by a Kenyan Bethwel Kibet Chumba who bested 2:09:30. Chinese Chen Tianyu came in third with 2:09:48.
Earlier this year, in January, Vicoty crossed the finishing line at the Chevron Houston Marathon held in Texas in the United States besting 2:19:55 where she came second.
In 2023, Vicoty came second in the 10K FASCA Castello ten kilometres road race held in Spain with a personal best of 30:14. Similarly in 2022, the marathoner won the Aramco Houston Marathon running under 2:19:55 in Texas.
The victory continues a winning streak for Kenyan athletes who have in recent months won prestigious global races.
Vicoty’s win comes barely a month after Ruth Chepngetich set a world record time of 2:09:57 at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 13, which she won.
With that record, the Kericho native entered the annals of history as the first woman to ever run under the 2:10 mark.
At the same race, John Korir won the men’s race with a dominant performance, besting a personal record of 2:02:43 for his first World Marathon Major title.
The 27-year-old is the younger brother of 2012 Boston Marathon winner Wesley Korir. Korir is now officially the sixth-fastest male marathoner in history.
