Running News Daily

Brigid Kosgei fires warning to London Marathon rivals after impressive ‘warm up’ in Lisbon

Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei has put her rivals on notice ahead of next month’s London Marathon after warming up for the race with a dominant performance at the Lisbon Half Marathon.

Brigid Kosgei is gearing up for a triumphant return to the London Marathon on April 21, following an impressive victory at the Lisbon Half Marathon on Sunday.

Kosgei, a former world marathon record holder, used the Lisbon race as a tune-up for the upcoming London Marathon and demonstrated her exceptional form by clinching victory in commanding fashion.

Despite narrowly missing the course record, Kosgei showcased her dominance by clocking a remarkable time of 1:05:51, securing the win with a lead of over three minutes ahead of her closest competitor.

The 30-year-old athlete surged into the lead past the halfway mark and maintained an unrelenting pace, leaving her rivals struggling to keep up.

While Kosgei had hoped to lower her personal best in the half marathon, she nonetheless proved too formidable for the rest of the field. Ethiopian Bosena Mulatie finished in second place with a time of 1:09:00, followed by Kosgei's compatriot Tigist Mengistu in third place with a time of 1:09:14.

Having previously triumphed in the London Marathon in 2019 and 2020, Kosgei is determined to rectify her fourth-place finish in 2021. Her dominant performance in Lisbon serves as a promising indication of her readiness for the upcoming challenge in London.

"This was a preparation for London Marathon next month,” said Kosgei. “I'm really happy, I appreciate what I have run today [Sunday]. Thanks to organisers, I appreciate what you have done"

The victory in Lisbon held special significance for Kosgei, who celebrated her win with her two children at the finish line.

"I'm feeling very happy, because I csme with my kids. They celebrated with me when I won the race. They were really, really happy for what I did," she added

As she sets her sights on the London Marathon, Kosgei's stellar form and determination sets the stage for an exciting and competitive race in April, where she will undoubtedly be one of the top contenders vying for victory.

Visually-impaired athlete runs a jaw-dropping half-marathon time in Spain

Tigist Mengistu of Ethiopia, who is in the Paralympic T13 category for visual impairment, ran 66 minutes for the half.

For years, Paralympic athletes have continued to challenge the performance barriers between impaired and able-bodied athletes. On Feb. 5, at the Granollers Half Marathon in Granollers, Spain, Tokyo Paralympic T13 1,500m champion Tigist Mengistu of Ethiopia, came even closer to bridging the gap, winning the half-marathon in a blazing 66:41.

Mengistu’s time is the second-fastest half-marathon of 2023 and ranks inside the top 100 all-time. She also broke the previous course record of 1:10:24 by nearly four minutes.

In 2021, Mengistu, 22, was the first athlete from Ethiopia to win a Paralympic gold when she won the T13 1,500m in Tokyo. (T13 is the least severe of the three visual impairment categories for para-athletes.)

According to World Para Athletics Classification, an athlete in the T13 classification vision is constricted to a radius of fewer than twenty degrees and can recognize a tennis-ball-sized object at a maximum of five metres away.

To compete in the T13 category, Mengistu has to be accompanied by a guide, a task carried out by Spanish athlete and 65-minute half-marathoner Artur Bossy of Granollers.

Although she ran the fastest known T13 half-marathon time in history, the distance isn’t officially recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), therefore, it will only be considered a world best.

According to the IPC, athletes seeking Paralympic classification must go through several medical, visual and physical evaluations.