Star Chepng'etich targets a second bite at the cherry

Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich competes in the Women's Marathon at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha on September 27, 2019.AFP

Ruth Chepngetich will defend her marathon title at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon this evening.

Chepngetich claimed gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, in 2:32:43.

She went on to finish third at the 2020 London Marathon before a roller coaster 2021, when she set a world record of 1:04:02 at the Istanbul Half Marathon, but failed to finish at the Olympic Games in Sapporo. She went on to win Chicago Marathon.

She won this year’s Nagoya Women Marathon in 2:17:18, just 10 seconds off her personal best and the second fastest ever women-only marathon.

She will be joined on the Kenyan team by Judith Jeptum and Angela Tanui. Jeptum set a French all-comers’ record of 2:19:48 to win the Paris Marathon this year, while Tanui won the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon in 2:17:57.

Ethiopia will be represented by Gotytom Gebreslase, who won the 2021 Berlin Marathon on her debut and finished third in this year’s Tokyo Marathon in 2:18:18, Ababel Yeshaneh, second at the 2019 Chicago Marathon in a personal best of 2:20:51, and Ashete Bekere, third in last year’s London Marathon in 2:18:18, who has run 2:17:58 this year.

USA’s Keira D’Amato, who broke the North American record when winning January’s Houston Marathon in 2:19:12. Her teammates will be Emma Bates, runner-up at last year’s Chicago Marathon, and Sara Hall, who finished second at the 2020 London Marathon and third at last year’s Chicago Marathon.

Japan has named Mizuki Matsuda, who has a personal best of 2:20:52, Mao Ichiyama, who has run 2:21:02, and Hitomi Niiya, who has a best of 2:21:17. Britain will be represented by Rose Harvey, Olympian Jess Piasecki and Charlotte Purdue. Bahrain’s Eunice Chumba is another star to watch.