Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir made history at the TCS London Marathon by breaking the women-only world record by 45 seconds. The race, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, saw Jepchirchir finish in an impressive time of 2:16:16, earning her third victory in a World Marathon Majors race.
The pace was set early on, with a lead pack of nine women passing through 10km in 31:26. By the halfway point, the pack had dwindled to seven women with a time of 1:07:04. At around 18 miles into the race, Jepchirchir, Tigist Assefa, Joyciline Jepkosgei, and Megertu Alemu separated themselves from the rest of the field, running together for the majority of the race.
As they neared the finish line, Alemu was dropped from the leading trio, leaving Jepchirchir, Jepkosgei, and Assefa to battle it out. With just over a minute of running left, Jepchirchir made her move, leaving her competitors behind with her signature finish. She crossed the finish line in 2:16:16, breaking the previous women-only world record set by Mary Keitany in 2017 at 2:17:01.
Jepchirchir’s remarkable performance at the TCS London Marathon has solidified her status as a dominant force in the world of marathon running. Her third victory in a World Marathon Majors race is a testament to her talent and dedication to her sport.
