Olympic Gold Medalist Peres Jepchirchir Breaks Women's-Only Marathon Record in London

Madison Williams | Apr 21, 2024

Nov 7, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Peres Jepchirchir, of Kenya, crossed the finish line. / Kevin R. Wexler-USA TODAY Sports

The reigning Olympic gold medalist in the marathon, Peres Jepchirchir, added another amazing feat to her resume on Sunday by clocking the fastest marathon record in the world for a women's-only race at the London Marathon.

The Kenyan finished at 2 hours, 16 minutes, 16 seconds, breaking the previous record held by Mary Keitany, who ran a 2:17:01 at the 2017 London Marathon.

"I thought the race would be fast and that the record would go, but I was not expecting it to be me," Jepchirchir said, via ESPN. "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. I now know I have a great chance to defend my title in Paris."

Olympic Champion ✅
London Marathon Champion ✅

Amazing run from Peres Jepchirchir!#LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/TgjLWRwAFv

— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) April 21, 2024

Jepchirchir beat her personal best (2:17:16) by a whole minute on Sunday. Her 2020 Tokyo Olympics finish was clocked at 2:27:20.

The 30-year-old will return to Paris for the 2024 Olympics this summer to compete in the marathon, where she will be looking to add a second gold medal to her collection.