Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir plans to run one more marathon race before the end of this year after she won gold in the women’s marathon race at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Jepchirchir, who was running her first race this year after recovering from an ankle injury, claimed gold in the women’s marathon at the global showpiece on Sunday, outsprinting Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa in a thrilling homestretch battle.
“This is the first marathon I’ve run this year. In April I was feeling very bad, I was in great form preparing for London, but I twisted my ankle and my doctor advised me it was better to rest and not force things. I was very disappointed, I rested for two months then resumed training and it’s very satisfying to have won here in Tokyo after all that,” she said. She added: “Tokyo is special to me. I have good memories here because I won the Saitama marathon on my first visit to Japan, then I won the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and now the World Championship.”
TRACK | Newly crowned world marathon winner Peres Jepchirchir believes Japan is special for her after clinching her third marathon race. She plans to run another race after recovering from injury.
After 42km on the streets of Tokyo, Jepchirchir and Assefa entered the Japan National Stadium shoulder-to-shoulder, setting up a dramatic showdown for the title. Assefa surged into the lead on the back straight of the track, but Jepchirchir responded with yet another kick in the final 100m, ultimately pipping Assefa. Clocking two seconds ahead of her in 2:24:43, the Kenyan added her next title after the Olympic gold she won at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“I really did not expect to win,” said Jepchirchir, who had not contested a marathon all season prior to Tokyo. “But when I saw I was 100 metres from the finish, I just started to kick. I found some hidden energy.” Assefa, who broke Jepchirchir’s women-only world record in London earlier this year with 2:15:50, experienced deja-vu of sorts, having been beaten to Olympic gold in Paris last year after a sprint finish against eventual winner Sifan Hassan.
“I don’t like to think I lost gold,” said Assefa. “I had some difficulties in my preparation for Tokyo, taking a long rest after breaking the world record at the London Marathon this year, so I’m just happy I finished the race with the silver medal.”
In one of the biggest surprises of the championships so far, Uruguay’s Julia Paternain stormed to bronze in 2:27:23, becoming her nation’s first ever world medallist. “I cannot believe it, I’m in shock,” said the 25-year-old, who had only ever run one marathon before. “I was not paying attention to my time out there. I was just trying to race.” The race began with an early break from the USA’s Susanna Sullivan, who led for much of the first half before being reeled in by the eventual medallists. Sullivan held on strongly for fourth in 2:28:17.
