London Marathon 2024: Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir shatters women's marathon world record
(Courtesy : Bob Martin / London Marathon Events)
Kenyan Olympian broke Mary Keitany’s longstanding mark with blistering 2:16:16 finish.
Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir smashed the women-only world record by 45 seconds at the TCS London Marathon, winning the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in 2:16:16* on Sunday (21).
The three-time world half marathon champion sprinted away from world record-holder Tigist Assefa, 2021 London winner Joyciline Jepkosgei and last year’s runner-up Megertu Alemu – all of whom finished inside 2:17 – to notch up her third victory in a World Marathon Majors race.
The pace had been swift from the outset as a lead pack of nine women passed through 10km in 31:26. By the time they reached half way in 1:07:04, the pack was down to seven women. It was about 18 miles into the race when the quartet of Jepchirchir, Assefa, Jepkosgei and Alemu managed to detach themselves from the rest of the field, and they ran together for the best part of eight miles.
As the clock ticked to 2:15, with little more than a minute of running left, Alemu was finally dropped. Seconds later, Jepchirchir unleashed her trademark finish to leave behind Jepkosgei and Assefa.
Trending Indian Sports articles
- Which Indian Shuttlers are in race to qualify for Paris Olympics after March 2024?
- Top 10 most followed sports in India in 2024
- Can Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya still qualify for Paris Olympics 2024?
- Can Indian boxers still qualify for Paris Olympics 2024 after disappointment at 1st World boxing Qualifiers?
- List of Indian athletes to have secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024
The diminutive Kenyan charged through the finish line in 2:16:16, breaking the women-only world record of 2:17:01 set by Mary Keitany in 2017.
Moments later, Alexander Mutiso Munyao made it a Kenyan double by winning the men’s race in 2:04:01, finishing 14 seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.
Hailing from Kenya’s fertile athletics cradle, Jepchirchir’s love affair with running blossomed during her school days, where she honed her skills on the track.
It was Keitany’s trailblazing achievements as a world half marathon champion that truly ignited Jepchirchir’s competitive fire. In 2013, she took her first strides into the world of road racing, announcing her arrival with a duo of 10K victories in South Africa.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram
Latest News
- Indian Sports Calendar May 2024: Major events to look forward to this month
- Indian Grand Prix-1 2024 full schedule, fixtures, live streaming details
- Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024: India achieve record medal numbers, finish second behind China in overall tally
- Full list of Indian medallists & medal tally at Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024
- Indian Sports Calendar April 2024: Events to watch in final week
Editor Picks
- Indian Sports Calendar May 2024: Major events to look forward to this month
- Indian Grand Prix-1 2024 full schedule, fixtures, live streaming details
- Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024: India achieve record medal numbers, finish second behind China in overall tally
- Full list of Indian medallists & medal tally at Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024
- List of Indian athletes who have already secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024