Salina Kosgei
KENYA
BIRTHDATE:
November 16, 1976
PERSONAL BEST:
2:23:22 (Berlin, 2006)
WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
13Apr08 Flora London Maraton 4th 2:26:30
22Apr07 Flora London Marathon 4th 2:24:13
24Sep06 real,- Berlin Marathon 2nd 2:23:22
23Apr06 Flora London Marathon 8th 2:28:40
06Nov05 ING New York City Marathon 4th 2:25:30
ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
18Nov07 Tokyo International Women's Marathon 2nd 2:23:31
03Dec06 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 1st 2:31:55
22May05 Prague International Marathon 1st 2:28:42
04Apr04 Paris Marathon 1st 2:24:32
CAREER NOTES:
Venturing into the unknown can pay off. It did for Salina Kosgei at the 2004 Paris Marathon, pulling away from Ethiopia’s Asha Gigi after the two had been together for the first 31 kilometers. She went on to win easily in 2:24:32.
Kosgei was originally a heptathlete, winning four consecutive Kenyan Schools' titles and then became an 800m specialist with a 2:01 best and a near-bronze medal miss at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.
She moved up in distance and recorded personal bests of 15:01.79 for 5000 meters and 31:27.83 for 10,000 meters and then struck gold at the 2002 Commonwealth 10,000m. But her disappointing showing in that event at the 2003 World Championships (18th place) led to her decision to return to Paris the next spring and try marathon running.
Kosgei made it two successive wins with another sub-2:30 run at Prague in May 2005 and finished a solid fourth at the ING New York City Marathon that November.
Kosgei brought her half-marathon PR down to 1:07:52 with a big triumph at the 2006 Lisbon Half-Marathon. She set a new personal record on the 2006 real,- Berlin Marathon course with a 2:23:22, finishing second to Gete Wami. Just as impressive was her year end run at Singapore where despite 25C temperatures and high humidity she broke the course record by nearly three minutes.
At the 2007 Lisbon Half-Marathon, Kosgei placed third in 1:09:47. She then returned to London and placed fourth in 2:24:13, the second fastest marathon of her career. Due to problems getting her visa she could not compete in November at New York so she ran Tokyo instead and came in second, just ten seconds from setting a new personal best.
Kosgei ran 2:26:30 at the 2008 Flora London Marathon, her second consecutive fourth place finish there.
PERSONAL NOTES:
Salina Jebet Kosgei was born in Simotwo in the Keiyo district of Kenya. She is married to Barnabus Kinyor, the 1994 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist in the 400m hurdles. They have a son, Billy, born in 1996, and daughter, Ruth, born in 2001. Kosgei is a corporal in the Kenyan Prisons Service.
