• Chronicle: Another of Nike's spring shoes: Brigid Kosgei smashes the women's world record for marathon

A lady appeared before

Brigid Kosgei

(Sinon, Kenya, 1994) just as she was crossing the finish line of the last Chicago marathon and it took the Kenyan a few seconds to understand that this lady, with her white smile, her white coat, her skin so White was

Paula Radcliffe

, that is, it was History.

At first, amid the confusion, Kosgei wanted to avoid her.

Why so much excitement in her congratulations, why did the public applaud her so much, why did the photographers claim both.

She just wanted to drink water, talk to her coach, Erick Kimaiyo, and rest.

Then she understood what was happening.

She had just broken the marathon world record that Radcliffe had held since 2003, and hence the buzz.

"Honestly when I crossed the finish line I did not know that I had broken the record. In fact, until that moment I had never thought about breaking the record, I only thought about running my race. But it was wonderful to get it. Then I was able to talk to Paula, she gave me some advice and I wrote them all down ", recalls Kosgei in conversation with EL MUNDO from the London hotel that houses the fastest runners in the world.

This Sunday she will be the female star (08.15 hours) of a marathon that, in its male category, this Friday was left without a duel between Eliud Kipchoge and

Kenenisa Bekele for loss of the second

(11.15 hours, Teledeporte).

A different star, unknown and because of its beginnings, so strange.

Very unlike Kipchoge and Bekele, Kosgei has never competed on the track, for example.

Your success with the marathon is actually the result of a plan that could have gone wrong, very wrong.

Born near Iten, the epicenter of Kenyan athletics, at 17 she had to drop out of school without finishing high school because her parents couldn't afford tuition and she decided to pursue athletics.

After being the mother of twins at 18, she focused on getting ready with her husband, Matthew Kosgei, and the two were placed under an unknown technician, Kimaiyo.

The plan was clear: neither cross, nor tartan, only marathon, the test that distributes more prizes, that attracts more brands.

And although her debut in 2015 in Porto was modest, two years later she was second in Chicago and from there, to Radcliffe, that is, to History.

A preparation away from your family

On the way, a farewell: when she began to stand out, she decided to leave her home in the city, in Iten, to go to one of the training centers in the heights of the Rift Valley and her children stayed with her husband.

How are you doing? It's the hardest part of all this, but I want them to finish their education and for that they need to stay in town.

Once a week I can visit them and every day I call them.

The truth is that I am saddened if I spend a day without talking to them and they also struggle sometimes, but I know that this is the best for their future.

Kosgei speaks shyly, but more resolute in English than years ago, when at each press conference her voice disappeared.

Although it is still not well known by the general public, it is already the image of Nike in several campaigns and, above all, it is already a reference in its country, where they celebrated their world record in style.

"When I came back from Chicago, I found a lot of people in Kenya proud of my achievement and I didn't expect it either. My coach's work has also attracted many athletes who now want to train with us. I'm very happy about that, helping the team, "says Kosgei, who broke the record just 24 hours after Kipchoge broke the two hours at the INEOS challenge in Vienna and therefore became part of the debate.

There was controversy around the world with the advantage that the Vaporfly Next% offer.

What did you think? For me they are perfect shoes: they are comfortable and make me feel fast.

I heard many people say that my shoes had broken the world record and that is not the case.

It wasn't the shoes, of course, it was my preparation and my motivation.

Without that I would not have succeeded.

This Sunday in London, Kosgei could try to get closer to his marathon world record (2h: 14: 04), achieved with male hares, although the objective is to attack the record in an exclusively female event (2h: 17: 01) and, for above all, victory.

Along with her on the starting line will be her compatriots

Ruth Chepngetich

and

Vivian Cheruiyot

and many doubts will surround her.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant several brakes and accelerations in the preparation of all and the circuit prepared in the capital of the United Kingdom is really strange.

Like the men, they will have to make 19 laps of a 2.15 kilometer circuit organized in front of Buckingham Palace and each turn will envisage a fight, a war.

For Kosgei, in her words, that doesn't matter.

She is prepared to win and, if necessary, to meet again after the goal with Paula Radcliffe, that is, with History.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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