Brigid Kosgei: at the Breakneck Pace of Winning Marathons

At the Pace of Her Victories 📖

This young athlete, specializing in the marathon, today boasts a quite exceptional track record. From her beginnings, she impresses, first marathon, first place 🥇. Indeed, it is at the Porto Marathon that Brigid Kosgei makes her debut, completing her lap in 2h47'59", finishing at the top of the podium. Her success continues with her second marathon which she finishes 20 minutes faster than her first, also walking away with the gold medal. In 2016, Brigid wins the Honolulu Marathon, breaking the course record 🏃 by 5 minutes, with a time of 2h22'15". A new record in 2019, for her second participation, at the age of 25, she becomes the youngest woman 👩 to win the London Marathon, posting the third-best time in the history of the race: 2h18'20". Her last gold medal dates back to 2022 at the Tokyo Marathon, where she sets ✍️ the second fastest time of the event. 

In her history, one event stands out: the Chicago Marathon 🇺🇸. It is for her a memorable place, which saw her break her personal records, at each of her participations. It all begins in 2017, where Brigid Kosgei finishes her lap in 2h20'22, her personal record 💪. At the end of 2018, she tightens the clock, and for her second participation, she finishes the lap in 2h18'35". 2019, a golden year 🏆, she shatters the former world record held by Paula Radcliffe, in 2h14'04".

Since then, an injury in 2022 has slowed her performances 🏥. After a year-long break, her calf tendonitis has healed. She returned to competition in 2023 at the New York Marathon, where she finished 4th. 

The Path of a Champion 👑

Bridig found herself passionate about running quite naturally. Born in a large family 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒, she and her 6 brothers and sisters grew up in the Elgeyo-Marakwet region in Kenya. A legendary land that has produced many champions, such as Ezekiel Kemboi and Vivian Cheruiyot ✨. Moreover, when she was in primary school, her school was 10 km from her home. To avoid any delay, young Bridig would often run to get there 🎒. Along her route, she crossed many coaches and athletes, whom she particularly admired. With the will to be like them, she developed a passion and got started. 

Initially, she started with medium distances, but despite her clear talent, she was never selected to represent her country 🇰🇪. She persisted and decided to leave school in 2012, in her last year. After a year of training with her coach Mathew Kosgei, she became pregnant and had to pause her career. In 2015, it was the beginning of big events; she joined a well-known training center 🏋️‍♀️ in Kenya to focus as much as possible and perform on the world stage. 

Today, Brigid is a true athlete who leaves her mark at every marathon 🏅, with her impressive style and records she keeps breaking.