The exciting 2022 season is coming to an end, and in addition to events such as the road running marathon, the important events of other athletics events this season have long come to an end.
Because of the Eugene World Championships held this year, the top experts have generally adjusted their state well, and many events have outstanding results. For example, in the women's event, Jamaican veteran Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who ran 100 meters eight times to 10.70 or 10.70, also won his top eight times and the world championship.
Fraser's compatriot, 200m star Jackson Shericka, has not been uncompromising this summer, running astonishing 21.55 and 21.45 in a row, beating the likes of Fraser and Thompson to claim the World Championship and setting the second-best time in history, behind Florence Griffith-Joyner's world record of 21.34.
Toby Amu-san breaks the women's 100 hurdles world record
The 100 and 200 were impressive enough, but perhaps slightly inferior to the women's sprint, with Nigerian Tobi AMUSAN breaking the previous world record of 12.20 in the semifinals of the World Championships with a score of 12.12 and running to 12.06 in the final.
The 400m hurdles are even more exaggerated, with talented McLAUGHLIN Sydney continuing last year's Tokyo Olympics and breaking the world record twice again this year, finally fixing the record at 50.68. If this result is placed in the 400-meter race, it can be ranked in the top 100 of the year.
Looking at the middle distance, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, the best ever 1500m, won the gold medal in the 1500m again without any suspense. In Monaco, it also ran the Kenyan national record of 3:50.37, while also surpassing the previous world record of mainland star Qu Yunxia, just 0.3 seconds short of Genzebe Dibaba's current world record of 3:50.07, the second in history.
The above events have historically good results this season, but to say the overall improvement, I am afraid that it is still our favorite marathon among the majority of runners, why say so, there is data to prove it.
With four Platinum Label events still not taking place, this year's Women's Marathon has made historic progress. From the stats: there are now 22 players this season, 30 times to reach the 220 mark, which is the most year in history. The data in 2021 is 8 people 8 times, in 2020 it is 10 times for 10 people, and in 2019 it is 12 people 13 times. Historically, only 58 people have run within 220 legal times 102 times, and this year it accounts for almost a third.
Of the top 5 best results in history, 3 were created in 2022.
Of the top 10 bests, 5 were set in 2022
Of the top 20 bests, 8 were set in 2022
Of the top 30 bests, 16 were set in 2022
This overall improvement is not seen in other events this season, you must know that the marathon is not a sprint of 100 meters and 400 meters, you can run many courses in a season. Most high-level marathon runners only run twice a year, which is not an improvement of a few, but a fairly high-level group, which is a leap in the level of the entire sport.
Review of the first half of the year
Kayla D'Amato breaks the U.S. women's marathon record
The first female athlete to run 220 this year was not an African, but a veteran Keira D'Amato from the United States. At the Houston Marathon in January, he ran the first time of the year under 220, 2:19:12, breaking the national record that had been dormant for many years. It is a legendary experience, and I will not repeat it here, but at the age of 37, she is definitely worthy of serious study and study by all non-African-American athletes.
Another important women's event in January is the Osaka Women's Marathon, a Japanese event in which the main participants are also Japanese runners. This year's winner Matsuda ran 2:20:52, which is not bad and is currently the best time of the year for a Japanese runner.
World Championships in Eugene Matsuda
At this year's World Championships in Eugene, Matsuda was the only Japanese woman to appear, finishing ninth with a time of 2:23:49, losing not only to African-Americans, but also to three Americans. Once upon a time, Asian players who could compete for gold and silver in international competitions have obviously lagged behind the top and high level in today's rapid development, not because they have not improved, but because they really can't keep up with the speed of improvement.
Fast forward to March, the first Grand Slam and platinum event of the year, the Tokyo Marathon lineup is top-notch, and the women's world record holder KOSGEI Brigid puts on a historic performance that also heralds an unusual year for 2022.
Gide Kosgay wins the 2022 Tokyo Marathon
The winning time of 2:16:02 was her second-best time and could be third in history at the time, behind her own world record and Paula Radcliffe's previous world record. The top 5 in this race all ran into 220, bringing the previous average Tokyo Marathon women's group to a new level.
The Nagoya Women's Marathon, which is a week away from the Tokyo Marathon, is also a platinum label event, and this year is also not to be underestimated, with top special invited runners and high prize money. The 2019 World Championship champion, Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich (Ruth Chepngetich) is one of the strongest female athletes in the active service, although she has retired more than once since her marathon debut, but she has completed more wins and losses, rarely lost, and has reached the top podium seven times so far, and the worst is the third in the London Marathon.
Chepgetic won the 2022 Furuya Marathon
Ruth Chepngetich in Nagoya set a second-best personal time in 2:17:18, which could have finished in the top ten of all time and was also a tournament record, with a huge prize fund of $250,000.
Another platinum mark event in Asia in April was the Seoul Marathon, Asia's oldest marathon, with both breaking the record held by mainland's Zhou Chunxiu in the top two this year. Joan Chelimo Melly, originally from Kenya, won the title with a winning time of 2:18:04.
Jeruvahlaw set the record for the fastest first horse at the time
Another race in April was the Hamburg Marathon, and while none of them were signboard events, this year a girl from Ethiopia made history here, with Yalemzerf Yehualaw setting the record for the fastest first horse in 2:17:23.
The young runner, born in 1999, is currently the second all-time half-marathon setter, with a time of 1:03:51 that has made her a long-time favorite, looking forward to her marathon performance. Facts have shown that the first horse is very successful, and the future is limitless.
The fastest world championship marathon in history
World Championships in Eugene Women's Marathon
For top professional marathon runners, especially some people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Africa, the World Championships marathon is not very attractive, as I said before. Many times they do not take the World Championships as a focus, and sometimes they will not work hard, and they will withdraw if they are not in good shape, and it will not affect their participation in more profitable commercial events such as Grand Slams in the future.
The situation of this year's World Championships in Eugene is slightly different, because of the meteorological conditions that have been rare for many years, making this World Championships marathon very conducive to creating good results, and in the end, many times have greatly set the record of the men's and women's world championships, and the number of withdrawals has been much lower.
Gerbreslesser wins the women's marathon at the World Championships
Gottitom from Ethiopia. Gotytom Gebreslase won the title with a time of 2:18:11. Because the World Championships are held in the summer, it is rare to encounter the right weather, so this record may be difficult to break in a short time.
Berlin and London are comparable
Tigist Arthurfa wins the 2022 Berlin Marathon
It's time for one of the most important races of the second half of the year, the Berlin Marathon. In Berlin at the end of September, the protagonist is still the king of marathons, Kipchoge. But the performance of the women's category was also noteworthy, and in the end, four ran 219, and Tigist Assefa from Ethiopia ran a national record of 2:15:37, which is also a new meeting record, which can be ranked third in the history of the time.
Jeruliver Law wins the 2022 London Marathon
Berlin is followed by another Grand Slam event, the London Marathon. The London Marathon, which was changed to the second half of the year, was the best performance in the women's category this year. The top six ran in 220, tying the record for the most women's 220 in a single game.
Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who set the fastest first horse record in Hamburg in the first half of the year, fell down during the race, but eventually defeated the mighty Joyciline Jepkosgei to claim her first Grand Slam title, slowing down the first horse three seconds in 2:17:26, and establishing the status of today's top marathon runner in just two races.
The Chicago Marathon has a slight regret
2022 Chicago Marathon Chepgotić wins
A week after the London Marathon, there was a Grand Slam race in the United States. The Chicago Marathon soon begins with a discerning focus on the women's category, as Ruth Chepngetich runs her race at an unbelievable pace, taking only 15:11 for the first five kilometers, which is a bit downhill, but it is also a pace that many marathoners cannot continue to run 5km alone.
The half-run time is only 1:05:44, which is much faster than the national record of the half-marathon in most countries, and there are only about 30 times in the history of running this result. Such a fast first half makes most viewers feel that she cannot sustain the latter course, depending on how long she can hold out, how far she can drop speed, and whether she can finally break the world record with such an aggressive running style.
Strong individual ability allowed Ruth Chepngetich to lose speed but never completely collapse, and still won the title with the second-highest all-time time time of 2:14:18, 14 seconds short of the world record set here by KOSGEI Brigid three years ago.
Emily Sieson breaks the U.S. women's marathon record
In second place in this race, American Emily Sisson set a record set by Keira D'Amato in 2:18:29, which was perfect from the process to the result. In recent years, America's top female athletes have left Asia's homegrown athletes behind, outpacing Asia's pace. Although there is still a long way to go from African-American players.
After withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics last year, Ruth Chepngetich won the title in Chicago. After winning the Nagoya championship in the first half of this year, he participated in the World Championship in Eugene, but he did not finish the race. The second half of the year in Chicago was her most important race of the year, and using such an aggressive game strategy, for a player in this class, will not be without reason, and it is probably caused by extreme confidence in her own form.
Her strength is definitely enough to run into 214 and break the world record, and failing to break the world record in 2022 may not only be a regret for her, but also a regret for the entire women's marathon.
But it's probably too early to say that, because there is another all-time genius who has the potential to make this history. She is the multi-world record holder and Ethiopian world champion Letesenbet Gidey.
Will she become the female version of Kipchoge?
2022 Amsterdam Marathon AYANA sets the record for the fastest first horse
Before we talk about Gidi, it's worth talking about her senior, Almaz Ayana. Former world record holder and Rio Olympic 10,000m champion Ayana won the just-concluded Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands with a time of 2:17:20, breaking the record for the fastest first horse just set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw this year.
At the Rio Olympics, the greatest 10,000-meter race in history, Ayana won the championship with a world record. The difficulty of breaking a world record in an Olympic long-distance competition is unimaginable. Not to mention breaking the record that Wang Junxia has maintained for more than 20 years, which was once considered one of the most difficult records to break. The battle brought her to a career peak, after 2017, the storm took a turn, she suffered injuries for a while, and then gave birth for a few more years.
By the time she returned, younger and more talented players had grown, with younger players like Letesenbet Gidey and HASSAN Sifan dominating the track and Ayana failing to even make it past the trials in her home country.
Turning around is not a last resort, and Ayana's technical characteristics are very suitable for long-distance racing. This is similar for Gidey, who is 7 years apart in age but is actually a type of athlete and can be seen as a younger version of Ayana. They are both good at high-speed flat running, both have excellent aerobic ability and economical technical movements, and they are not the absolute speed of Hassan and Hellen Obiri, and sprinting in the 5,000 meters is not what they are best at.
One thing is for sure, they will all be very good at marathons, as Ayana proved a few days ago, and if she can stay healthy, it is entirely possible for Ayana, who is in her early 30s, to run around 215.
Lightson Bate Giddy
Turning back to Gidey, it was reported that she will be competing in her first marathon at the Valencia Marathon in early December. As a popular runner who holds multiple world records including 5,000m, 10,000m and 15km, as well as a half marathon, he has achieved his wish to reach the top of the World Championships this summer.
Her first horse is definitely something to look forward to, and she is also one of the active athletes most likely to take the women's marathon to new heights right now. Unlike the men's marathon Jepchogo dominating the rivers and lakes, the women's group is now a group of bucks, several are comparable, Gidey began to dabble in the marathon, and eventually became the female version of Kipchoge, becoming the first person in the history of women's marathons?
Valencia is a very suitable track for good results, especially for women, who can also be led by a male pacemaker, and in previous races there have been many times to reach the 220 mark, and it is possible for Gidi to challenge the world record in the first horse, she has the ability.
Giddy set the world record for the women's half marathon
The first half of the horse is 1:02:52, and some male athletes with this performance can even run into 210, and the endurance of female athletes is actually no worse than that of male athletes. Giddy's limits go far beyond breaking the current world record of 2:14:04, and 212-213 are all aspirational.
As we all know, marathon and 5,000 and 10,000m training are completely different, before the World Championships, Gidddy's training must still revolve around track racing, and it may not be enough to prepare for the first marathon in just a few months.
Today, these first-class runners are all dedicated and systematic to marathon training. But if Gidey lowers his race goal appropriately, running a good 216-7 like Ayana, while finishing the race smoothly, is also a good choice. She is only 24 years old, and it is completely fine to turn around a few years later. Let's look forward to the December 4th match and witness the history that is possible.
In the future, Gidey and younger talents will surely continue to push the women's marathon to greater heights, and it may not take many years for female runners to run to 210. 2022 may not be a historical accident, the best era of women's marathon has arrived.
postscript
Finally, let's briefly talk about why there are so many good results in 2022, first of all, women's track and field events lag behind men's development, and long distance events are even more so. This is related to the degree of development of human society, the social status of women, and so on.
The men's marathon has been carried out for more than 100 years, and in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, there was no social consensus on whether women could physically run long distances, and it was not until 1984 that it officially became an Olympic event. And the current dominance of African female runners will not be able to rise to full marathon until 2000.
In the past 10 years, the in-depth commercialization and professional development of road running marathon has involved European and American brokerage companies, coaches and scientific research teams. In Kenya and Ethiopia in Africa, more young and talented girls have taken marathon as their life goal and trained at a high level, and these African athletes born in the 90s are just in time for this period, and now they are in their 20s and early 30s. In addition, "high-tech" assistance, including running shoes, is also one of the factors that cannot be ignored.