KENYA’s Peres Jepchirchir produced a dramatic final sprint to win the women’s marathon gold medal at the world championships on Sunday.
Jepchirchir outpaced Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa in a breathtaking finish inside Tokyo’s National Stadium after 41 kilometres of racing through the city streets.
The pair ran neck-and-neck throughout the final stages with the pace continually increasing as they approached the stadium.
Jepchirchir grimaced as she attempted to pull away only for former world record holder Assefa to bolt down the back straight.
The 31-year-old Kenyan somehow found hidden reserves to battle back past her stuttering rival in the final 100 metres.
Jepchirchir crossed the line in 2 hours 24 minutes and 43 seconds to claim victory by a mere two-second margin.
The Olympic champion expressed immense joy at winning her first world championship title at the same venue where she won Olympic gold in 2021.
She credited the stadium crowd for providing extra energy during the crucial final moments of the race.
Jepchirchir admitted the extreme heat and humidity made conditions particularly challenging throughout the marathon.
She revealed that sprinting in the final metres was not part of her original race plan but became necessary when she saw the finish line approaching.
Assefa experienced déjà vu having also finished second at last year’s Paris Olympics behind Dutch runner Sifan Hassan.
The Ethiopian runner maintained a positive attitude by focusing on winning silver rather than losing gold.
American Susanna Sullivan led the early stages before being dropped at the 30-kilometre mark.
The race then became a two-woman duel between Assefa and Jepchirchir for the gold medal.
Uruguay’s Julia Paternain claimed a surprise bronze medal in 2 hours 27 minutes and 23 seconds.
Paternain recently switched allegiance from Britain to Uruguay in January of this year. – AFP