Chicago Marathon champion Brigid Kosgei ran a personal best time of 2:18:20 to win the women’s 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon in the United Kingdom.
Kosgei beat defending champion and compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot who clocked 2:20:14. Ethiopia’s Roza Dereje finished third in 2:20:51.
Kosgei finished runner-up to Cheruiyot in the event in 2018.
The women’s race was termed as having one of the greatest and deepest lineups ever assembled. It featured four current major marathon champions – Kosgei, Cheruiyot (London), Mary Keitany (New York) and Gladys Cherono (Berlin).
Keitany, a three-time London champion, was aiming for a win to equal Norwegian Ingrid Kristiansen’s record of four London Marathon wins.
Ethipians Roza Dereje and Birhane Dibaba was also marked as contenders having clocked under 2hours and 20 minutes.
Kosgei and Cheruiyot went out on their own from just after the 25 kilometres mark. Kosgei, who led Cheruiyot by two seconds at the 30 kilometres mark, slowly began to pull away and eventually finished the race well ahead of Cheruiyot.
25-year-old Kosgei also wrote her name in the record books becoming the youngest female winner at the London Marathon.
