NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 10 – Women’s Marathon World Record Holder Brigid Kosgei says she has a dream of ensuring that more girls from her rural home get access to education, using her own example where she failed to complete her High School education due to poverty.
Speaking on Wednesday as she was hosted for a luncheon by sponsors Stanbic Bank, Kosgei recalled how she was forced to choose between athletics and trying to get school fees to finish school, ultimately choosing the former.
“I ran some race in Eldoret and a Principal from a High School saw me and said he would pay for my fee from Form One and Two and part of Form Three. That is how I went to High School. But when he could no longer pay my fees, it became difficult for me because my mother who I was staying with was also not able to finance my education,” recalled Kosgei.
“I had already started running and I was forced to choose between the two and I decided to put some effort in my running and couldn’t go beyond Form Three,” she said.
And now, from her experience, and the pain of missing out on education, Kosgei wants to use her position in the society to educate more girls from her village.
“I feel very bad when I see girls fail to finish their education because for some of them, that can be the tool to get them out of poverty. Some are led into early marriages because of that and their lives end up being drifted apart,” she says.
“I would like to work more with Stanbic through their programs to see how we can ensure that more girls have access to education. I know that in the village most of the parents are not able to pay fees for their children,” she said.
Kosgei, a mother of twins, says she is happy with how her life turned out, but is cognizant to the fact that not many girls would be as fortunate as her.
Under her portfolio of wins in her marathon career include two Chicago Marathon titles, two London Marathon titles, a silver in each of the two races and a silver at the Olympic Games.
She added another Major Marathon title last weekend when she cruised to victory at the Tokyo Marathon. She said she was delighted with the victory.
“It was a very tough race but despite all the challenges, I was determined to go and get a win. I had worked hard in training over the past few months and I felt that my body is in good shape,” she stated.
Adding; “I got a lot of support, including from my sponsors Stanbic and I had to go there and do my level best.”
Meanwhile, Kosgei has disclosed that she battled injury all through 2021 and negative words spoken in her ears acted as a catalyst to her seeking success. She said she ran both the Olympic Games and the London Marathon with injury.
While she won silver in Sapporo during the Olympic Games, she finished fourth in London, failing to defend her title.
“During the Olympic Games, I had an ankle sprain and I struggled to run with it and finished second. In London, I had to run with a knee injury but I am glad at least I finished in the top five,” she said.
Adding; “People had talked a lot of things saying that I was tired from running too much or my form had disappeared but I took all that as motivation to keep working harder. I am glad that I managed to overcome that and went back to Tokyo where I won,” she stated.
Kosgei is however holding closely her next course of competition but is not yet ruling out another shot at the Olympic Games title in 2024.
