Kenyan athlete Peres Jepchirchir, the reigning Olympic champion, achieved a remarkable feat by shattering the women’s world record at the London Marathon on Sunday.
With a burst of speed in the last 300 meters, the 30-year-old surged ahead, crossing the finish line in an astonishing time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, and 16 seconds. This impressive performance eclipsed Mary Keitany’s previous record of 2:17:01 set at the 2017 London Marathon.
Following closely behind, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia finished second with a time of 2:16:23, while Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya, the 2021 London Marathon winner, claimed the third spot with a time of 2:16:24.
In the men’s race, Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya emerged victorious, holding off the legendary Kenenisa Bekele in the final 3 kilometers to clock a winning time of 2:04:01. Bekele, a former Olympic champion, finished 14 seconds behind Munyao.
The London Marathon also saw Marcel Hug securing his fifth victory in the men’s wheelchair race, while Catherine Debrunner claimed the top spot in the women’s wheelchair race.
Before the race began, a heartfelt tribute was paid to last year’s champion, Kelvin Kiptum, who tragically lost his life in a car accident earlier this year. Kiptum had set a course record at the London Marathon in 2023 and went on to break the world record at the Chicago Marathon.
As runners and spectators gathered at the start and finish lines, a video honoring Kiptum’s victory was played, followed by a moment of applause in remembrance of the remarkable athlete.
