Nairobi — Olympic women’s marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir believes a third-place finish at Sunday’s London Marathon was the best result she could hope for after recent injury woes.
Jepchirchir said it felt great to be back on the road competing again after a tough tussle with injury, which saw her withdraw from last October’s New York Marathon.
In the English capital, the two-time world half marathon champion clocked 2:18:38, behind winner, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Ethiopian Alemu Mergetu, who timed 2:18:33 and 2:18:37 in first and second respectively.
Jepchirchir said the podium finish is a big boost as she sets eyes on bigger exploits in upcoming international competition.
“I thank God, first of all, for this third-place finish after a long struggle with injury. It is certainly something I can build upon as I look forward to upcoming competitions. It is just what I needed to get going after missing the previous marathon,” she said.
Having been in a neck-to-neck race with Hassan and Mergetu, Jepchirchir could not do much to stop the searing speed of the Olympics 10,000m and 5,000m champion who surged ahead with 300 metres to go to claim the top prize on her marathon debut.
She said the wet London weather did not make it any easier for her to avoid a first defeat on road race since she finished second in the women’s half marathon at the Great North Run in Newcastle in September last year.
“I knew all about her (Hassan) powerful kick in the last stages of a race but the problem is I was fatigued at that point. We were drizzled on since the 10km mark and by the latter stages of the race, I felt like my feet were just a little bit too heavy to move,” the 2021 New York Marathon champion said.
She added: “The rain played a huge part in today’s race…it really affected us but we tried our best. All in all, I am grateful for the third-place finish.”
