Peres Jepchirchir crushes world record in London
Reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir yesterday crushed the women’s-only world record in winning the 44th London Marathon, while Kenyan compatriot Alexander Mutiso Munyao pulled away from Ethiopian distance great Kenenisa Bekele to win the men’s race.
Thirty-year-old Jepchirchir crossed the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace in two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds to break Mary Keitany’s mark of 2:17.01 set in a women’s-only race at the 2017 London event.
Jepchirchir pulled away from a group of four in a sprint finish, before collapsing to her knees in tears having beaten the fastest field of women ever assembled.
“I thought the race would be fast and that the record would go, but I was not expecting it to be me,” Jepchirchir said.
“It’s because I believe in myself. As I crossed the finish line, I thought about how grateful I am for this to be my last event representing Kenya before I head to Paris [the Olympics],” she said. “I now know I have a great chance to defend my title in Paris.”
Munyao, 27, who was pushed by Bekele until the final couple of kilometers, won the men’s race in 2:04.01, pumping his fist several times en route to the biggest victory of his career.
“I’m happy for winning the race today and at 40km I got some pressure from Kenenisa Bekele, but I had a lot of confidence because I trained for this race,” Munyao said.
Thirty seconds of applause marked the start of the men’s race in memory of world record-holder and last year’s winner Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car accident in February, at the age of 24.