NAIROBI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Eliud Kipchoge's world record performance in Berlin may have taken the shine off Kenya's Valary Jemeli winning the Beijing marathon, but the Kenyan feels she is on course to compete at the World Championships.
Jemeli on Sunday became the first ever Kenyan winner of the women's race at the Beijing Marathon with a time of 2:21:38, ahead of Bahrain's Eunice Chumba (2:26:56) and Ethiopia's Fatuma Sado (2:27:41).
The win secured her 40,000 U.S. dollars. Her main focus is to make the Kenyan team that is heading to the 2019 World Marathon Championships in Doha, Qatar.
"The target is to make the Kenyan team," said Jemeli. "It was not easy to win in Beijing, but I had the focus and determination to bring change to the finishing order. It feels nice knowing that I am the first Kenyan to win in Beijing."
Jemeli's winning time is the fourth fastest in the history of the race and the quickest time since 2005, but it is two minutes shy of the 2:19:39 course record set by China's Sun Yingjie in 2003.
"It was my first time running the Beijing Marathon," Jemeli said.
"The race was good and the weather was good. Everything was good. I want to say thanks to my pacemaker and my husband (Kenneth Kiplagat Tarus), he did the best job. I am very happy," she added.
Selection for the Kenyan World Marathon Championships team is not automatic. Whereas every athlete strives to produce their best run in top marathons, coaches review each performance.
Jemeli might still need another top performance between January and April to prove her fitness and secure a nod to join the team heading to Doha in 2019.
