2019 World Athletics Championships – Women's marathon
Women's marathon at the 2019 World Championships | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Venue | Khalifa International Stadium | |||||||||
Dates | 27 September | |||||||||
Competitors | 68 from 41 nations | |||||||||
Winning time | 2:32.43 | |||||||||
Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
The women's marathon was one of the road events at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Due to the heat in Doha, the race was scheduled to begin at 23:59 on 27 September 2019, which made it the first midnight marathon in the history of the World Championships. Even with the unusual timing, the temperature was above 30 °C (86 °F) and the humidity over 70 per cent, making conditions difficult for running. Only 40 of the 68 entrants finished the race, which was won by Ruth Chepng'etich of Kenya in 2:32.43; the slowest winning time at the World Championships. Bahrain's Rose Chelimo was second in 2:33.46, with Helalia Johannes of Namibia third in 2:34.15.
The marathon was held on
Qualification
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF, now
Preview
Due to the hot conditions in Doha, the World Championships were scheduled in October, rather than the traditional August, and rather than holding the marathon during the day, it started at midnight local time to minimise the impact that the heat would have on the race,[3] making it the first-ever night marathon at the World Championships.[4] Despite these changes, the temperature was expected to be a key factor in the race: temperatures were predicted to be around 30 °C (86 °F), with humidity levels above 80 per cent. In mitigation, the IAAF added extra water stations and medical staff along the route, as well as more ice baths at the finish.[5] The course consisted of six laps of a floodlit roughly 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) course along the Doha Corniche, a waterfront promenade on Doha Bay.[6] The loop started in front of the Amiri Diwan, and stretched to the Sheraton Hotel.[4]
Athletes from
Both the high temperatures, and the tactical nature of World Championship races, meant that it was not expected that any records would be set.
Summary
The race was officially scheduled to start at 23:59 local time (UTC+3) on 27 September 2019;
The leading group was reduced to four when Jepkesho fell back,[14] and later Chepngetich and Chelimo moved away at the front.[15] At the start of the final lap, Chepngetich was able to break away and opened up a gap to claim the gold medal.[14] Her time of 2:32:43 was the slowest ever winning time at the World Championships. She finished just over a minute ahead of Chelimo, 2:33.46, while Johannes claimed the bronze medal in a time of 2:34.15.[13] Only 40 of the 68 runners finished the race; and there were criticisms from many of the participants. Volha Mazuronak, who finished fifth, said "It's disrespect towards the athletes. A bunch of high-ranked officials gathered and decided that it would take [the World Championships] here but they are sitting in the cool and they are probably sleeping right now." Roberta Groner, who was one place further back, said "The key was to finish and not hurt myself." Lyndsay Tessier had similar sentiments: "It was really scary and intimidating and daunting. I'm just really grateful to have finished standing up."[17]
Later in the day, the IAAF published a statement saying that no athletes had suffered heat stroke as a result of the race, and that the completion rate was similar to that seen in Tokyo in 1991 and Moscow in 2013. In total, they said that "Thirty athletes visited the Medical Centre as a precaution. A small number were kept under observation and one athlete was referred to the hospital for observation but later released."[18]
Results
The final took place on 27 September at 23:59. The results were as follows:[19]
References
- ^ "IAAF announces qualifying standards for Doha 2019 World Championships". Athletics Weekly. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Qualification system and entry standards" (PDF). IAAF. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ Kelly, Madeleine (8 January 2019). "The World Championship marathon will be held at midnight". Canadian Running. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ a b Rehmat, Rizwan (26 September 2019). "Doha ready for first night marathon". The Peninsula. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Bloom, Ben (25 September 2019). "Fears over safety of World Championships marathon runners in Qatar heat despite midnight start". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ a b Rowbottom, Mike (23 September 2019). "Preview: women's marathon - IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019". IAAF. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- British Athletics. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Gabelić, Tomislav (27 September 2019). "Naša maratonka u bolnici: Otrovala sam se, povraćam..." [Our hospital marathon runner: I poisoned myself, vomiting...]. 24sata (in Croatian). Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Francis, Anne (7 October 2019). "How hot was it in Doha, really? One expert's take". Canadian Running. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- IAAF. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Women's Marathon". IAAF. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ a b "World Athletic Championships: Chepngetich wins women's marathon". Al Jazeera. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Keating, Steve (28 September 2019). "Chepngetich beats Doha heat to win midnight marathon". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d Chowdhury, Saj (28 September 2019). "World Athletics Championships: Ruth Chepngetich wins women's marathon as heat takes toll". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ a b Tress, Luke (28 September 2019). "Top Israeli runner Chemtai Salpeter collapses in world championship marathon". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ a b Bloom, Ben (28 September 2019). "'Really scary and daunting': World Championships women's marathon chaos as 28 athletes pull out amid soaring Doha conditions". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "50km race walk to go ahead as planned – IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019". IAAF. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- IAAF. 28 September 2019. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.