Chepngetich has considerable history in the marathon, winning the world title in Qatar in 2019 and coming within 14 seconds of success in a previous world record attempt.

However, her stark improvement against the clock has become more familiar in the ‘supershoe’ era.

Between 1988 and 1998 the men’s marathon world record was unchanged.

Now the breakthroughs are more regular and more significant.

In a little over 10 years, the men’s mark has dropped four times, with nearly three minutes wiped off the clock.

Chepngetich’s mark is the third new women’s world record in five years, with the fastest women’s time over 26.2 miles dropping by five and half minutes in that period.

High-tech foams, carbon plates and pressurised airbags have combined in the soles of the latest shoes to return more energy to athletes, sparking an arms race among manufacturers.

World Athletics has moved quickly to regulate shoe technology.

Chepngetich was wearing Nike’s Alphafly 3, one of hundreds of different models that have been checked, validated and published on the World Athletics website and specialist app., external

The regulations over shoe technology stretch over 18 pages, external and include restrictions on the development of ‘intelligent’ shoes which might change sole composition across different parts of a runner’s stride pattern.

Manufacturers are allowed to supply sponsored athletes with prototype shoes which are not yet available to the public for testing purposes outside Olympic Games and World Championships.

However, other approved shoes must be or have been available to the general public. Chepngetich’s chosen pair retail at £285.

Kenyan distance running has been beset by doping scandals in recent years, and Chepngetich was asked about doping after her victory in Chicago.

Former marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang, former half-marathon world record holder Abraham Kiptum, Rio 2016 Olympic marathon champion Jemima Sumgong and London Marathon winner Daniel Wanjiru are among those to have been banned.

World Athletics president Lord Coe visited Nairobi in January 2023, but Kenya’s anti-doping agency says it has since been weakened by budget cuts from the government.

Asked whether she could understand why the positive tests might cause some fans to doubt her new world record, Chepngetich said: “People must talk.”

Alex Pereira didn’t impress Jamahal Hill at UFC 307.

This past weekend, Pereira picked up his third win of 2024, successfully defending his light heavyweight title with a fourth-round TKO of Khalil Rountree Jr. After the fight, Hill — who was in attendance — was caught on camera with a mocking yawn, which prompted Pereira to clown Hill in his post-fight press conference. But Hill stands by it.

“It’s crazy how y’all see a clip with no context, no nothing, and y’all just be ready to talk shit and just attack and come disrespectful as ever,” Hill said on his YouTube channel. “It’s hilarious… I never said the fight was boring…

“It was an entertaining fight. You saw some adversity, you saw adjustments and game plan. That’s one thing I will give Alex credit for, he adjusted his game plan a few times in that fight until he ultimately found his way to the finish and to the victory. So I will give him credit for that.

“Now, to the yawn at the end. Was it entertaining? Yes. Was I impressed? No. I’m not impressed… Did I see anything in the cage that scares me or that I didn’t expect to see? No.”

Pereira knocked Hill out in the first round at UFC 300 back in April, and since then the former light heavyweight champion has continuously tried to pick a fight with “Poatan.” And Hill still seems committed to that plan.

“To be honest with you, I’m glad Alex won,” Hill said. “I’m happy Alex won, because I want him to be as big of a giant in your minds as possible the next time I face him.

“At this point, I don’t care, he can go Magomed [Ankalaev] next, if he fights him, and he can lose. That’s the fight that I want. I don’t want the belt. I want that fight.”

Since UFC 300, Pereira has added two more knockout wins to his resume, with successful title defenses against Jiri Prochazka and now this recent victory over Rountree. In contrast, Hill has yet to step back into the cage since his loss, but “Sweet Dreams” promises that’s coming soon enough.

“As far as what’s next, a contract is already on the way, name is already hit the desk,” Hill said. “Touch-Em-Up University will be in session, class will be in session soon.”

KYLIAN Mbappe has slammed “fake news” after a newspaper reported police received a formal rape complaint against the star.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the French forward domed at a restaurant and went to a nightclub in Stockholm.

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A complaint was reportedly then made to police on Saturday after the alleged victim sought medical attention.

In a post on X, Mbappe addressed the report saying: “FAKE NEWS !!!! It’s becoming so predictable, just before the hearing as if by chance.”

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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HMD Motorsports announced the arrival of Hailie Deegan for the 2025 season in Indy NXT, the premier developmental category for the IndyCar Series.

The 23-year-old Deegan is set to contest all 14 rounds in the team’s No. 38 entry. She becomes the fifth driver confirmed by HMD Motorsports, joining a lineup for next year that includes Caio Collet, Josh Pieson, Tommy Smith and Bryce Aron. Deegan will get her first taste behind the wheel of Indy NXT machinery at the upcoming Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis road course on Oct. 18. 

“I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to working with a proven program in HMD Motorsports,” Deegan said. 

“I have much to learn, but I am ready to go. The team brings a wealth of knowledge for me to pull from, and I look forward to soaking up as much of that as possible before my race debut next March in St. Petersburg.”

Hailie Deegan, AM Racing, AirBox Ford Mustang

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

Deegan’s switch to open-wheel racing comes after an extended time in the dirt and stock car ranks. After winning three races during her time in NASCAR’s K&N West division from 2018-19, becoming the first female to win in the series. She spent all of 2020 in ARCA, finishing third in the title race. Most of her NASCAR career was spent in the Truck Series, competing full-time from 2021-23 and scoring a best finish of sixth (twice – Talladega 2022, Texas, 2023). Although she started this year full-time in the Xfinity Series, the tenure ended after 17 races following a split with AM Racing.

To aid with Deegan’s transition, she has been working with former HMD Motorsports engineer Nathan Toney, the owner of Toney Driver Development. She will also make her first open-wheel race debut later this month in the final race of the Formula Regional Americas season at Circuit of the Americas.

“Hailie, and especially the Deegan name, are huge in motorsports, and we welcome them to the HMD Motorsports family,” said Team President Mike Maurini. “Hailie has already been out to the shop and is taking the move to open-wheel racing seriously. She is looking for a place in the Indianapolis area to be emersed with the team and is already working with her engineer. We want to make sure she and all the other HMD Motorsports drivers are as ready as possible for every on-track session.” 

The French Rugby Federation, National Rugby League and Provale have expressed “firm opposition” to the proposed 20-minute red card, saying it is an “unacceptable step backwards” by World Rugby.

In 2024, the Rugby Championship and World Rugby’s Under-20 Championship in South Africa trialled the new law for the first time, external, meaning a team is able to replace a red-carded player after 20 minutes in the sin-bin.

This month World Ruby announced “successful initial trials”, external were passed, leading to support for further elite-game trialling.

In a joint statement, the three French governing bodies say the “data collected remains insufficient” to go through with the proposal.

“Statistics provided by the FFR [French Rugby Federation] to World Rugby show that a red card does not systematically mean defeat for the penalised team,” the statement said.

“Indeed, the analysis based on 480 Top 14 matches and Tier 1 international matches shows that only 60% of the teams receiving a red card lost at the end of the match.”

Last year more than 300 former football, rugby league and rugby union players in the United Kingdom took legal action over brain injuries they claim to have sustained during their playing careers.

The statement adds that the current red card is “a crucial tool” to deter “unsportsmanlike behaviour”, without it the sport faces an “unacceptable step backwards on the measures put in place over the last few years to reduce head impacts”.

Furthermore, the law would “encourage more aggressive play”, which would negatively impact “the image of the game”.

The last men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup finals ended with one team having 14 players on the field for the majority of the game.

On the decision to trail the 20-minute red card, World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said in May that rugby’s disciplinary process needed “streamlining to be simpler for players and fans to understand”.

“This is a trial, and it is important to remember that the ability to replace a red-carded player after 20 minutes is coupled with sanctions that are strong, clear and will not be mitigated down,” Beaumont added.

The FFR says it will speak out against the law’s entry at the meeting of the World Rugby Council on 14 November.

If approved, World Rugby will work with member unions, competition owners and key stakeholders to finalise the timeline and processes for trial adoption, with implementation from 1 January.

“We call on World Rugby to reconsider this experiment, ensuring that any decision is based on concrete and convincing data, which is not the case today,” vice-president of the FFR Jean-Marc Lhermet added.

BBC Sport contacted World Rugby for comment.