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ASIAD-2018-ATHLETICS
Chelimo slams heat, pollution after marathon gold
JAKARTA, Aug 26, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – World champion Rose Chelimo made light of
brutal conditions on Sunday to scoop Asian Games gold for Bahrain with a
runaway win in the women’s marathon.
The Kenyan-born athlete produced a devastating break from the leading pack
after the 25-kilometre mark in Jakarta and ploughed a lonely furrow as she
crossed the line to win in a modest time of two hours, 34.51 seconds.
Chelimo’s gold continued Bahrain’s recent Asian Games success in the
marathon after Eunice Kirwa and Hasan Mahboob — both also born in Kenya —
won the women’s and men’s titles in 2014.
Despite smashing her rivals in a slow race to take gold, Chelimo admitted
that Jakarta’s heat and poor air quality had caused her problems.
“It was bad, it was too hot,” the 29-year-old told AFP. “I felt something
in my throat too. The air here, you feel like it’s hard to breathe.
“I felt like I wasn’t going to finish but I found some morale and hope to
keep going. Thank God I finished with no harm.”
Chelimo had already crossed the finish line when Japan’s Keiko Nogami
entered the stadium to claim silver over a minute and a half behind. North
Korea’s Kim Hye Song took bronze.
“But I’m very proud to be the Asian champion,” said Chelimo, one of 10
siblings who captured the world title in London last year.
“I just spoke to my family on the phone and they were all praying for me,”
added the gold medallist, who grew weary of the snail’s pace the leaders were
running at to break away after 25km.
“I planned to break away around 35km but I saw my chance and decided to go
for it,” said Chelimo.
“Nobody followed me so I continued to push the pace and then I was on my
own.”
Nogami bit her tongue when asked if she had any sore feelings about being
beaten by a runner born in Kenya.
“Maybe, but she came first regardless of her nationality,” said the
Japanese runner.
“Perhaps I should just focus on my own shortcomings.”
Nogami, whose countryman Hiroto Inoue won the men’s marathon a day
earlier, also complained about the heat despite the early morning start.
“When I threw my sunglasses away late in the race my eyes were really
stinging,” she said.
“I felt then it was because of the air pollution but to be honest the heat
was worse.”
Kirwa followed her Asian Games gold medal with a silver at the Rio
Olympics two years ago and Chelimo signalled her intent to race at the 2020
Tokyo Games — mindful that severe heat could be a factor.
“I’m planning to go for gold in Tokyo,” she said. “I hope all will be
well.”
BSS/AFP/MSY/1035 hrs