Peres Jepchirchir has won the London Marathon 2024, setting a new women’s-only world record of 2:16:16. In a nail biting final 400m, the Kenyan runner dodged around her fellow competitors to make a final break for the finish line just ahead of current world-record holder Tgist Assefa.
An incredible line up of elite women including Jepchirchir, Assefa and Brigid Kosgei stuck together as a strong pack until the second half of the race, when a final four of Assefa, Jepchirchir, Habitam Alemu and Jociline Jepkosgei broke away and battled it out. In a brutal final segment, each runner’s attempt to pull in front would be thwarted as the quartet chased the win.
Windy conditions made it a tough race that, for the final group of elite women, became a matter of pride over time. Nobody was quite prepared to make a break for it if it meant sacrificing the top spot, which meant that potential hopes of a new world record were dashed, but that all four of the first finishers broke the women’s-only record. Assefa and Jepkosgei finished in the second and third spots, respectively.
There was the sense that a second race was taking place just behind the front runners: a race to hit the Olympic qualifying time. Team GB runner Charlotte Purdue paced for a hopeful Mhairi Maclennan in her…
