September 22, (THEWILL) – Kenyan long-distance runner Mary Keitany has announced her retirement from the sport. The three-time London marathon and four-time New York marathon winner called time on her career on Wednesday after a recurring hip injury has prevented her from actively competing over the last two years.
Recognised as one of the country’s most successful marathon runners, the 39-year-old started racing after the birth of her first child in June 2008, repeatedly proving that she was made of sterner stuff as she cruised ahead of a field of athletes to breast the tape at race after race.
Speaking on her decision, she said: “After a lot of soul-searching, we decided with my manager (Italian Gianni Demadonna) that it was better for me to retire.
“I picked up a hip injury in my last London marathon race in 2019, which has restricted my training and I’ve not been able to compete effectively since then. I believe I have had a success of my career and this is the best decision I have made.”
Keitany retires with the world record in the 10 miles, 20km, half-marathon, and 25km, though she never translated that dominance to wins at open championships. For instance, at the London 2012 Olympics, she could only manage a fourth-place finish.
That notwithstanding, Keitany picked herself up to claim a hat-trick of triumphs in New York between 2014 and 2016. Then, in 2017, she set a women’s-only record time of 2:17:01 at the London marathon. She became the first Kenyan woman to win the title four times when she was victorious again in 2018.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
