Brigid Kosgei Kenyan track and field athlete Date of Birth: 20.02.1994 Country: Kenya

1. Early Life and Career Beginnings
2. Breakthrough in Marathon Races
3. Rise to Prominence
4. Global Dominance
5. Record-Breaking Achievements
6. Continued Success
7. Olympic Silver

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Brigid Kosgei, born on February 20, 1994, in Sinono, Kapsowar, Kenya, is a distinguished Kenyan long-distance runner. Growing up in Elgeyo-Marakwet County with six siblings, Kosgei began her running journey at the age of 17 under the mentorship of her future husband, Matthew Kosgei.

Breakthrough in Marathon Races

Kosgei's exceptional talent was evident from the outset. In her first nine marathons, she finished among the top two on eight occasions. Her breakthrough came at the 2016 Lisbon Marathon, where she secured second place behind Sarah Chepchirchir with a personal best time of 2:24:45, surpassing the previous course record.

Rise to Prominence

In 2017, Kosgei emerged victorious in the Bogotá Half Marathon and claimed third place in the Copenhagen Half Marathon. She continued her winning streak at the 2017 Chicago Marathon, finishing second with a personal best of 2:20:22, the sixth-fastest time in Chicago Marathon history. Just weeks later, she triumphed at the Honolulu Marathon, shattering the course record by over five minutes.

Global Dominance

Kosgei's 2018 campaign included a second-place finish at the London Marathon behind Vivian Cheruiyot. After an injury setback at the Bogotá Marathon, she returned to competition at the Great North Run as preparation for the 2018 Chicago Marathon. Kosgei secured a close second place behind Cheruiyot once again.

Undeterred, Kosgei went on to win the Chicago Marathon, pulling away from a group of three Ethiopians and two other Kenyans after the 30-35 kilometer mark. She set a personal best of 2:18:35. That year, she also claimed victories in the Eldoret Cross Country in Kenya and the Keringa Half Marathon in Kapenguria, Kenya.

Record-Breaking Achievements

In 2019, Kosgei made history by winning the London Marathon, becoming the event's youngest female champion. Her time of 2:18:20 was the third-fastest ever recorded in London, behind Paula Radcliffe's 2:17:42 in 2005 and Mary Keitany's 2:17:01 world record in 2017.

At the 2019 Great North Run, Kosgei shattered the course record with a time of 1:04:28, improving the previous half marathon record by 23 seconds. She capped off the year with a stunning victory at the 2019 Chicago Marathon on October 13, 2019. In a performance that rewrote history, Kosgei set a new world record of 2:14:04, eclipsing her personal best by over 4 minutes. Her time was 81 seconds faster than the previous record and saw her finish more than six minutes ahead of runner-up Ababel Yeshaneh. Notably, Kosgei wore customized Nike shoes that were claimed to provide a 60-90 second advantage.

Continued Success

In February 2020, Kosgei placed second behind Yeshaneh at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon. Her time of 1:04:49 was just two seconds slower than the previous world record. Kosgei and Yeshaneh's 10-kilometer split time of 30:18 was only one second slower than the 10,000m track best set in 2019.

Later that year, Kosgei secured victory at the rescheduled 2020 London Marathon. She broke away from the lead pack at the 29km mark and remained unchallenged until the finish line, crossing in 2:18:58.

Olympic Silver

In 2021, Kosgei was appointed as the captain of Kenya's women's marathon team for the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Other athletes selected for the team included Cheruiyot and Ruth Chepngetich. At the Tokyo Olympics, Kosgei captured the silver medal in the marathon, which was held in Sapporo, Japan.