Ruth Chepngetich set to battle it out for the Worlds biggest prize money at Nagoya, Japan

2019 world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich is set to compete against Kenyan-born, Israeli Lonah Chemtai Salpeter at this year's Nagoya Women’s Marathon in Japan.

The marathon scheduled for Sunday March 13, 2022 will reward the winner with a whooping Sh28.3 million ($250,000).

This will be a historic year not only for the women’s marathon but also for the marathon sport as a whole, by way of presenting the highest prize to a female athlete.

"It shows how far the sport has progressed since the 1960s when women were banned from taking part in many marathons around the world and the year 1984 when the women’s marathon finally became an Olympic sport in the Summer Games in Los Angeles," read the press statement in part.

Chepngetich's marathon career began with a bang when she won the 2017 Istanbul Marathon in a course record 2:22:36.

DOHA, QATAR - SEPTEMBER 28: Gold medalist Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya stands on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's Marathon during day two of 17th IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at Khalifa International Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

She dropped under 2:20 for the first time the following year in the same race, clocking 2:18:35, then rallied back just 75 days later to run an improbable 2:17:08 in Dubai, the second-fastest mark of 2019 and the #4 time in history.

She won the world title in 2019 in Doha in brutally hot and humid conditions, winning by over a minute.

“We are delighted to welcome such outstanding women athletes in this year’s race. While it will be exciting to see how the competition unfolds, we are committed to supporting all women runners and their challenges," concluded the statement.