Ruth Chepngetich, the women’s marathon record holder, has announced that she is ill

The Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepngetichcurrent marathon world record holder, experienced an unexpected challenge last Saturday at his country’s cross-country championship, held in Ruiru. His career performance 10 kilometerswhich left him on the podium which surprised many, was over a bad day at office: Chepngetich revealed in the Kenyan edition of Mozart Sport that one malaria infection He left her lying on the bed the day before the competition. Despite the intense feeling of the symptoms of a deadly disease, the runner was able to participate in the test and cross the finish line, something he did not expect.

“I thank God for finishing the race. I didn’t think I could do it because I was sick. On Friday it was difficult for me to get up, but I had to work hard because it was my job.” he explained. “Malaria has weakened me, but I know I will recover”. Chepngetich completed the course in 33m51s, occupying fourth position, while her compatriot Loice Chemining won with a time of 33m09s.

Malaria is a serious and deadly disease, transmitted mainly by infected mosquitoes. It can also be spread through contaminated blood transfusions or the use of infected syringes. Symptoms usually appear 10 to 15 days after the bite. and include fever, diarrhea, headache, nausea, vomiting, chills, sweating, and muscle or stomach pain. An early diagnosis, through blood tests, allows effective treatment with antimalarial drugs and begins to improve within the first 48-72 hours of the appearance of symptoms, with complete relief within a few week.

Chepngetich, one of the athletes of the moment, wrote her name in the history of athletics in October 2024, by breaking the world marathon record in the women’s category at the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2h09m57s, which became the first woman in less than two hours and ten minutes. His victory beat Tigst Assefa’s previous mark of 2h11m53s by almost two minutes.

To him 30 yearsChepngetich will be one of the great figures of London Marathon 2025to be held on April 27, where he should arrive fully recovered. There he will compete with Tigst Assefa, from Ethiopia, Sifan Hassan, from the Netherlands, and Peres Chepchirchir, also from Kenya, in one of the races with the greatest talent pool in history.