Olympic women's marathon start time changed
Brigid Kosgei, the women’s world marathon record holder, from Kapsait Nike Athletics Training Camp in Elgeyo Marakwet County, does speed work at Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy in Iten on May 19, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The race was initially set for 7am Sapporo time, which is 1am Kenyan time, but the extreme weather conditions being experienced in Sapporo forced the organisers to alter the start time.
Tokyo, Japan
The Olympic women's marathon will start at 06:00 am local time on Saturday (2100 GMT Friday, midnight Kenyan time on Saturday), an hour earlier than scheduled due to the forecast stamina-sapping heat and humidity in Sapporo.
The change is "to allow for slightly cooler weather for runners", a statement from organisers explained.
At the new start time it is forecast to be 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit), rising to 28 degrees by 08:00 am, then 30 degrees an hour later, with 90 percent humidity.
The men's marathon on Sunday remains at its 07:00 am scheduled start time.
Organisers moved the marathons from the capital to avoid Tokyo's punishing summer heat.
World record holder Brigid Kosgei has the unenviable task at the Tokyo Olympics of restoring Kenya's image in the marathon, which suffered a huge dent after the 2016 Rio Games.
Compatriot Jemima Sumgong became the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic marathon gold in Brazil, but she subsequently tested positive for the endurance booster EPO and was banned for eight years.
Kosgei, who ran the fastest women's marathon of all time, clocking 2hr 14min 04sec in Chicago in October 2019, is eyeing a medal on Saturday in Sapporo to spare Kenyan blushes.
Organisers moved the marathons from the capital to avoid Tokyo's punishing summer heat but temperatures in Sapporo are currently in the 30s, which will make the race a tough challenge for the entire field.
"I know it wouldn't be easy winning the gold medal... but I will go out there and take my chances since this is my first Olympics," Kosgei told AFP.
Like so many athletes, Kosgei travelled to the Olympics after 18 disrupted months due to the coronavirus crisis.
"It is unfortunate that we didn't have many competitions to help us prepare us for the Games since the Covid pandemic led to many race cancellations," she said.
A late starter in the sport, Kosgei -- a mother of eight-year-old twins -- had a difficult time growing up in a large family of seven children to a single peasant mother in Elgeyo Marakwet in Kenya's Rift Valley.
Like many of the girls in her village, Kosgei saw athletics as a vehicle to help her escape a life of destitution.
