EUGENE, Oregon, USA, Jul 20 – Newly crowned world marathon silver medallist Judith Korir reckons it’s just a matter of time before she begins riding on the crest of a wave in the women’s marathon.
Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase denied Kenya gold in the Women’s marathon after she set a new Championship Record of 2:18.11 in Oregon.
Judith ran a time of 2:18.20 to win Kenya’s third silver after defending champion Ruth Chepngetich pulled out of the race due to stomach related issues.
But speaking a few days after the race, Judith revealed she is still hopeful of achieving future historic feats despite falling to Gebreslase.
“I may not have won gold in Oregon but the silver has definitely opened up many doors for me,” she said, adding: “The future is still bright for me. In athletics you win and lose some,” the 26-year-old, who trains in Kapsait said.
“It was not easy in Oregon when Chepngetich pulled out. She is a champion and her experience would really have come in handy in our campaign for gold.”
“She was always encouraging us to push harder and up our game, so when she dropped out she urged us to continue putting pressure on our race adversaries.”
“We took up the challenge and gave it our all as the country’s reputation was at stake.”
Judith reckons that silver in Oregon wasn’t that bad, as much as gold was the real deal.
“I am happy that at least Kenya was on the podium. But looking at the situation critically, I still feel that I will continue being a star at least for the foreseeable future.”
“I am not sure about my next race. But the idea is to go back on the drawing board and I believe I will be stronger and better with proper preparations,” said Judith.
She has her eyes firmly set on Paris 2024, but not until she stamps her authority on the world’s majors.
She is also grateful for the Kenyans who supported her and extended moral support. “Marathons are not for the fainthearted, so kudos to those who wished us well. We will strive to run at the summit as always and pray that we remain in good shape.
“I also want to thank my coach for the unending effort,” she quipped.
Making her debut officially for Team Kenya, Judith, who is the reigning Paris and Abu Dhabi Marathon champion, took the mantle from the defending champion Chepngetich who dropped out of the race after just 18 kilometres.
The 26-year-old was part of the leading pack of three Kenyans, three Ethiopians and an Israeli international. She swapped leads with Ethiopians Ababel Yeshaneh and Gotytom Gebreslasie.
It was her sixth marathon race since making her official debut in road running. Another Kenyan, Angela Tanui, looked destined to finish in the medal bracket, but she fell off the pace and ended up finishing sixth.
-Alex Isaboke is reporting live from Eugene, Oregon, USA-
