First woman to break 2:10: Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich sets new marathon world record

The 30-year-old clocked an astonishing time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 57 seconds, beating the previous record set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa by nearly two minutes.

Assefa had established the earlier record at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds.

Chepngetich expressed her joy after the race, saying, "I feel so great, I'm proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true… I've fought a lot thinking about the world record, and I have fulfilled it."

Following her record-breaking run, Kenyan President William Ruto took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Chepngetich. He praised the athlete, stating, “I salute Ms Chepngetich for breaking the world record and becoming the first woman in history to break the 2:10:00 barrier.”

Chepngetich’s achievement comes amid a backdrop of scrutiny in Kenyan athletics, following a doping scandal involving 138 Kenyan athletes across various sports between 2004 and August 2018.

When asked if her record might be questioned due to its speed, she responded, “You know people must talk, so I don’t know."

Chepngetich now holds the distinction of being the first woman to run a marathon in under two hours and ten minutes, a feat that will go down as one of the greatest moments in women's marathon history.