Kenya: Jepchirchir looks to defend Olympic marathon title

Peres Jepchirchir is aiming to become the first woman in history to defend the Olympic Marathon title after recovering from injury last fall to storm into Kenya’s team for Paris 2024 Summer Games.

The 30 year-old shot to global fame when against all odds, she ran 2:27:20 to win the Olympics at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Summer Games in 2021.

Jepchirchir also famously led the first ever women’s Olympics marathon 1-2 when compatriot Brigid Kosgei won silver with American Molly Seidel charging late to claim bronze.

The reigning champion had only made it to Japan from the reserve list when Vivian Cheruiyot was forced to withdraw from the Kenyan squad.

Now, the London Marathon winner got the chance to defend her crown after bouncing back to imperious form after two seasons interrupted by injury.

"I'm so humbled and feeling grateful for that, and I thank God for that. I know it's not my ability and I'm not important than other people, I thank God for that first of all.

“I know a lot of tension is there but I'm going to try my best, work for that and make more history,” she said in Kapsabet, the southern Kenyan town where she has been training for the Olympics.

While gold in Tokyo came as a surprise, Jepchirchir underlined her ascendancy by winning the 2021 New York Marathon to become the first woman to win the Olympic and Big Apple titles in the same year.

A few months later in April 2022, Jepchirchir added the Boston Marathon title but a hip injury forced her out of the World Championships in Oregon.

On her return to running, she could only finish third at the 2023 London Marathon when she could not live up with the pace when Sifan Hassan of Netherlands and Ethiopia’s Alermu Mergetu dropped her in the three-way battle for the title.

Another injury suffered in training, this time to her ankle saw her drop out of a New York Marathon title defence last November.

In 2024, Jepchirchir only had one thing on her mind, making the Kenyan Olympics team.

That saw her opt out of running the Boston Marathon due to the tough and hilly course and choose the relatively flat and quick London race in April.

Her gamble paid off handsomely when she stopped the clock at 2:16:16 to set the new world record in a women’s only race—an achievement even she was not expecting.

That performance not only catapulted her back to the top of the elite marathon running but saw her name come out first when Team Kenya’s team was named at the end of April.

Boston champion Hellen Obiri and former world record holder Kosgei (mixed sex race) were announced as her teammates to Paris with Sharon Lokedi the reserve.

But earlier this month, Olympics Kenya announced Lokedi who finished second to Obiri in Boston would take the place of Kosgei who withdrew from Paris with injury.

Besides gunning for history, Jepchichir is also confident that the Kenyan women can produce a first ever Olympic marathon podium shut out in a difficult Paris course.

"I've seen it on google, the course is not easy. but I thank God for the Kenyan (team) I, Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi.

“I've run the Boston Marathon and won, I've run the New York Marathon I've won, Obiri has won two times at the Boston Marathon and Sharon won New York and was second in Boston. So I believe in them and I believe in myself because all of us have run hard course races, this will not be the first, yeah,” she added.

After winning in Tokyo, Jepchirchir had the honour of being awarded her medal by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach on the final day of the Summer Games as Kenya’s national anthem belted out last.

This time, she is dreaming of closing the Paris 2024 Summer Games in similar fashion on August 12 but this time, with a roaring crowd in the stadium.