Chepngetich queen of the marathon, Pogacar power 4, the flamboyant return of Dupont… The sports recap of the weekend

The women’s marathon world record was shattered on Sunday in Chicago by Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich, the first to go under the 2h10 mark.

A weekend without a major football match, but not without sporting exploits. Saturday October 12 and Sunday October 13, you had to have one eye towards Como in Italy, for the Tour of Lombardy, and another towards Chicago, where the marathon experienced a historic moment. Luckily, the editorial staff of franceinfo: sport was able to multiply and scan the other sports grounds for you, in particular the Top 14 pitches and the two tennis Masters 1000 in China.

Cycling: Tadej Pogacar punctuates his season of domination with a recital

The Slovenian definitely doesn’t like company. Rainbow jersey on his back, he once again showed his hegemony within the peloton, Saturday, for his last race of the season by winning the Tour of Lombardy with more than three minutes ahead of Remco Evenepoel . On the 255 kilometers of road between Bergamo and Como, Tadej Pogacar knew where to attack and the peloton was prepared for this acceleration. But no one could follow.

The winner of the Giro and Tour de France is above the fray and no one even tried to take his wheel when he left in the Sormano. Never weakening, “Pogi” went for his 25th victory of a record season, to be classified among the greatest in the history of cycling. Two grand tours, two monuments, a world championship and see you next year.

Marathon: Ruth Chepngetich makes history

In 2021, she had already attempted the Chicago marathon. But the hare, which was to keep her on pace for a planetary record, had exploded along the way. This time, Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich compiled everything to achieve a feat: breaking the women’s marathon world record. Established last year by the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa in 2h11’53” in Berlin, the best mark was shattered on Sunday by the 30-year-old athlete, who became the first woman to go under 2h10 (2h09’57” ). The 2019 world champion in the discipline thus lowered the record by almost two minutes, and her personal best by more than four minutes.

Rugby: Antoine Dupont at the top, the French women’s XV worried

The vacation has obviously done him good. Two and a half months after winning the Olympic Games in rugby sevens and fifteen weeks after his last fifteen-a-side match with Toulouse, the scrum half made his comeback in his own way. Coming into play in the 45th minute of a match already well underway for the Rouge et Noir (20-0), he scored three tries in 12 minutes to seal the match. A flush charge, support inside and a run over more than half the field, Antoine Dupont is indeed back!

The Blues, for their part, have reason to worry one year before the World Cup planned in England. The Tricolores returned from Canada, where the Women XV was organized, with only one success and two setbacks. Widely beaten at the end of the competition by New Zealand (39-14) with a scathing 19-0 in the second half, the French finished fifth in their group of six teams, ahead of only the United States, which they had beaten the previous week (22-14). Next meeting: the Six Nations Tournament.

Tennis: Jannik Sinner “too strong”, Aryna Sabalenka one breath behind Iga Swiatek

The world number 1 is no longer Novak Djokovic, but Jannik Sinner and the Italian made a point of proving it, Sunday, in the final of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai by beating the Serbian in straight sets (7-6[4]6-3). “Too good, too strong, too fast”concluded “Nole” under the eyes of Roger Federer, who was for the first time since his retirement in the stands to watch a match of his former rival. The Swiss could have witnessed the entry of the “Djoker” into the club of players with 100 singles titles on the ATP circuit, of which he is part with Jimmy Connors, but he will have to wait.

Still in China, but in Wuhan (for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic), Aryna Sabalenka quickly returned to her habits by winning this WTA 1000 for the third consecutive time after 2018 and 2019 against the local Qinwen Zheng (6 -3, 5-7, 6-3). The Belarusian returns to 69 points behind Iga Swiatek in the ATP rankings and holds the rope to end the year in first place in the world. Everything will be decided at the Masters scheduled for the beginning of November in Riyadh, where it will have the advantage of defending only 625 units, against 1,500 for its Polish rival, titled without losing a match last season and which has no longer been seen on the circuit since the US Open.