Perez Jepchirchir was more focused on securing her chance to defend her Olympic gold medal than setting a world record for the women's marathon.
She ended up doing both, making a late run to win the London Marathon women's race on Sunday.
Jepchirchir had by far the strongest finish, easily leaving world record holder Tigst Assefa and two other rivals behind as he raced solo down the final straight in front of Buckingham Palace. She finished in 2 hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds, with Assefa in second and Joycilin Jepkosgei in third.
This was more than four minutes slower than Assefa's women's all-around world record in Berlin last year, but it was the fastest women's marathon time ever, beating Mary Keitany's 2:17:01 set in London in 2017. Ta. The elite women's race in London will start approximately 30 minutes earlier than the elite men's race.
But more important for Jepchirchir is cementing her place on the Kenyan Olympic team in Paris. She said the London Marathon was the last qualifying race before Kenya's Olympic selection committee selected the team for Paris.
“I didn't expect to run that time. I was trying to work hard to defend my title at the Olympics,” Jepchirchir said.
It was also a bit of redemption for Jepchirchir, who finished third in London last year after losing a similarly close race, losing five seconds to winner Sifan Hassan.
Taking the lead in the second half of the sprint will boost her confidence heading into Paris.
“I think it helps me a lot,” she said. “For me, once you reach 800 meters (left), it's hard to win.”
She was part of a Kenyan double with Alexander Mutiso Munyao who won the men's race.
