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The 25-year old mother of twins smashed
Briton's Paula Radcliffe's 16-year-old world record by 81
seconds at the Chicago Marathon in October, recording a time of
two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds to cap a stunning rise to
the sport's summit for Kosgei who started competing
internationally only four years ago.
"When I went to compete (in Chicago) I did not think that I
would break the record," Kosgei told Reuters at an Athletics
Kenya conference in the northwestern city of Eldoret. "My aim
was to break the course record (which was 2:17:18)."
She does not feel any pressure now after her record-breaking win
or that she needs to restore some Kenyan pride over the
distance, where, despite producing great runners for decades,
they have struggled to crack the Olympics and then been shamed.
They managed three successive silvers before Jemima Sumgong
finally took their first gold in 2016, only for her victory to
be tarnished by her failing a doping test less than a year
later.
"It will be my first time at the Olympics, if I'm selected,"
Kosgei said. "I want to achieve (my best) at in Tokyo, to bring
gold for Kenya."
Kosgei said she does not fear anyone and focuses only on running
her best while competing, a mentality shaped by her win at her
first international marathon in Porto in 2015.
"Winning made me realize that I can run marathons," she said.
"Before that sometimes I would be discouraged by others that
marathons are really tough. But I came to realize, it's not
tough. It's just discipline and hard work and patience."
Her goal since then has been to lower her personal best. "I
would just keep lowering it until a few weeks ago when God
helped me in Chicago, where I broke the record," she said.
Kosgei said she was disappointed by the scepticism in some
quarters that the record went to Kenya, a country that has had
its reputation as a world leader in athletics tarnished by the
use of performance-enhancing drugs by some of its athletes.
From 2004 to August 2018, 138 Kenyan athletes tested positive
for doping, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency report in
September 2018.
"I said to myself they've tested me several times and they would
have caught me if I was using drugs," she said. "If somebody has
used something, that is their problem."
Kosgei also dismissed critics who have said her record was
unfairly aided by the use of the latest running shoes from Nike.
The shoes have carbon-fibre plates and a thicker midsole that
the manufacturers claim improve running economy by 4% or 5%.
A version of the shoes are also worn by men's marathon
world-record holder Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who the day before
Kosgei's Chicago win, recorded an astonishing, pacer-aided
1:59.40 in Vienna.
"Shoes don't run, it's the feet that run" Kosgei said. "If you
are not in shape and I use those shoes it won't help."
(The story refiles to fix text formatting, byline)
(Reporting by Omar Mohammed and Isaack Omulo, editing by Mitch
Phillips.)
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