President William Ruto has congratulated marathon star Peres Jepchirchir after she delivered Kenya’s second gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday morning.
Jepchirchir, returning to the city where she won Olympic gold four years ago, ran a well-calculated race to outpace Olympic silver medallist Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia in the final stretch. The Kenyan cut the tape in a season’s best time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 43 seconds.
Assefa, who made the first move as the athletes entered the National Stadium track, had to settle for silver once again after clocking 2:24:45, while Julia Paternain of Uruguay bagged bronze in 2:27:23 — the country’s first-ever medal at the global event.
Jepchirchir’s victory gave Kenya its first women’s marathon world title since 2019, when Ruth Chepngetich triumphed in Doha. The win also completed Jepchirchir’s medal collection, adding the only major title missing in her career.
The 30-year-old said the victory was particularly sweet after a season troubled by injuries, which forced her to withdraw from the London Marathon earlier this year. It was also redemption against Assefa, who beat her at the Paris Olympic Games, where Jepchirchir finished a disappointing 14th.
President Ruto praised her resilience, saying: “Your resilience embodies the Kenyan spirit and proves once again that Kenya rules the marathons. Another gold for our nation, another proud moment as you raise our flag high.”
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