London Marathon: Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir wins race in record time

Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir won a thrilling London Marathon in a
women’s-only world record time.

The Kenyan kicked for home as she turned down The Mall and won the race in 2:16:16, the previous world record for a women-only race was 2:17.01, set by Mary Jepkosgei Keitany in London in 2017.

Four runners were in with a shout down the final straight as Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa came home in second (2:16:23), ahead of Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei in third (2:16:24), with Megertu Alemu fourth.

The men’s race was won by Kenyan Alexander Munyao in 2:04:01, ahead of 41-year-old track great Kenenisa Bekele who finished in 2:04:15.

Ethiopian Bekele was attempting to win London for the first time, some 20 years after he won Olympic 10,000m gold but Munyao, 27, broke clear of his rival with three miles to go.

Britain’s Emile Cairess ran to finish third with a time of 2:06:46 whilst his counterpart Mahamed Mahamed finished fourth in 2:07:05.

Marcel Hug, 38, won the men’s wheelchair race for a record fourth consecutive time, clocking in at 1:28:33. It is the fifth time in total the Swiss has won the race.

America’s Daniel Romanchuk came second, finishing in 1:29:06, while Britain’s David Weir was third in his 25th consecutive London Marathon, clocking 1:45:51.

The women’s wheelchair race was won by a distance by another Swiss, Catherine Debrunner, who broke the course record to win in 2022.

The 29-year-old finished the race in 1:38:54, with Swiss counterpart Manuela Schar second in 1:45:00.

American’s Tatyana McFadden finished in third place (1:45:51), while Boston Marathon winner Eden Rainbow-Cooper was the highest British finisher, coming sixth in 1:50:39.

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