Brigid Kosgei

Brigid Jepchirchir Kosgei (born 20 February 1994) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won the 2018 and 2019 Chicago Marathons, the 2019 and 2020 London Marathons and the 2021 and 2026 Tokyo Marathons. Kosgei was the marathon world record holder for women running in a mixed-sex race, with a time of 2:14:04 achieved on 13 October 2019 at the Chicago Marathon. She won the silver medal in the marathon event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Personal life Brigid Jepchirchir Kosgei grew up in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya, and has six siblings. Her sister Pamela is a steeplechase runner. Aged 17, Kosgei began running, training with her boyfriend and now husband Matthew Kosgei. She came second at the 2016 Lisbon Marathon behind fellow Kenyan Sarah Chepchirchir, in a personal best time of 2:24:45. Her time was faster than the previous course record. In 2017, Kosgei won the Bogotá Half Marathon, and came third at the Copenhagen Half Marathon. Her time was the sixth-fastest ever time at the Chicago Marathon. Weeks later, she won the Honolulu Marathon, beating the course record by over five minutes. Kosgei later won the Chicago Marathon, after breaking away from a group of two other Kenyans and three Ethiopians after of the race. She set a personal best time of 2:18:35. During 2018, Kosgei also won a cross country event in Eldoret, Kenya, and the Kalya Half Marathon in Kapenguria, Kenya.

Kosgei won the 2019 London Marathon, becoming the youngest woman to win the event. Her time of 2:18:20 was the third-best time in London after Paula Radcliffe in 2005 with 2:17:42 and Mary Keitany in 2017 with the world record 2:17:01. At the 2019 Great North Run, Kosgei won in a course-record time of 1:04.28, 23 seconds faster than the previous half marathon world record set by Joyciline Jepkosgei.

She won the 2019 Chicago Marathon on 13 October 2019 in a world record time of 2:14:04, an improvement of her personal best by more than 4 minutes. She beat the previous world record by 81 seconds, and was over six minutes ahead of second place Ababel Yeshaneh. Later in the year, she won the 15 km Saint Silvester Road Race in a time of 48:54.

In February 2020, Kosgei finished second to Yeshaneh at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon. Kosgei's time of 1:04:49 was two seconds better than the previous world record. Kosgei and Yeshaneh's time of 30:18 after of the race was only one second slower than the best time set in a track 10,000m event in 2019.

Before its postponement, Kosgei was chosen to lead the Kenyan women's marathon squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. The other athletes chosen in the squad were Cheruiyot and Ruth Chepng'etich. In February 2021, Kosgei was confirmed in the Kenyan marathon team for the rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympics, alongside Cheruiyot, Chepng'etich and Peres Jepchirchir. It was Kosgei's first appearance at the Olympics. Later in the year, she came fourth at the 2021 London Marathon. In March 2022, Kosgei won the delayed 2021 Tokyo Marathon in a time of 2:16:20, the third fastest ever time.

At the 2024 ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon, Kosgei broke the course record in a time of 2:19:15.

In April 2026, World Athletics rejected an application to switch Kosgei's nationality to Turkey, describing it as part of "a coordinated recruitment strategy... to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts" which was not consistent with its eligibility rules and transfer of allegiance regulations.

Achievements All information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

Marathon competition record

Personal bests Distance Time(h):m:s Location Date Notes 5 km 15:13 Lisbon, Portugal 19 May 2019 10 km 30:58 Atlanta, GA, United States 4 July 2022 (also 29:54 * not legal) 15 km 48:54 São Paulo, Brazil 31 December 2019 Half marathon 1:04:49 Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates 21 February 2020 (also 1:04:28 * not legal) Marathon 2:14:04 Chicago, IL, United States 13 October 2019 World record