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.
Chepngetich to compete for Sh28 million at Nagoya marathon
For the first time in history, female athletes will earn more than their male counterparts
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.
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.
Invited Elite Athletes: Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2022
- Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya)
- Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (Israel)
- Yuka Ando (Japan)
- Sinead Diver (Australia)
- Rie Kawauchi (Japan)
- Hanae Tanaka (Japan)
- Mirai Waku (Japan)
- Ai Hosoda (Japan)
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