Obama salutes Kipchoge and Kosgei for their staggering achievements
Former United States President Barack Obama has hailed Kenyan marathoners Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei for their incredible performance at the weekend.
Obama has described the two athletes’ achievements as “remarkable examples of humanity’s ability to endure.”
Yesterday, marathoner Eliud Kipchoge became the first ever to break two hours. Today in Chicago, Brigid Kosgei set a new women’s world record. Staggering achievements on their own, they’re also remarkable examples of humanity’s ability to endure—and keep raising the bar.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 13, 2019
On Saturday, Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon under two hours in Vienna, Austria during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.
Kipchoge also holds the men’s marathon world record with a time of 2:01:39, a mark he set at the Berlin Marathon on September 16, 2018.
And as the world was still celebrating Kipchoge’s near-impossible feat, Kosgei broke a 16-year-old record in the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:14:04.
The 26-year-old’s time significantly lowered Briton Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing record of 2:15:25 set on April 13, 2003 in London.
Remarkably, just six months ago the two Kenyan athletes emerged winners of their respective categories at the 2019 London Marathon.
