Peres Jepchirchir Discloses Secret Weapon She Used to Overcome Ethiopian Threat to Win Marathon Gold for Kenya

Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir is still in awe of her gold medal win at the 2025 World Athletics Championships after claiming the women’s marathon title on Sunday morning.

Jepchirchir returned the marathon crown that Kenya had last won at the 2019 World Championships through Ruth Chepng’etich when she shrugged off the challenge of Ethiopian Tigst Assefa in a thrilling finish.

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.

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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,” Jepchirchir, who had not contested a marathon all season prior to Tokyo, said as quoted by World Athletics.

“But when I saw I was 100 metres from the finish, I just started to kick. I found some hidden energy,” she added, revealing what pushed her to the win.

Assefa, who broke Jepchirchir’s women-only world record in London earlier this year with 2:15:50, experienced a sense of deja-vu, 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. 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,” said the Ethiopian.

It was a remarkable feat for Jepchirchir, who failed to defend her Olympics marathon title in Paris last year, following a disappointing fifth place finish, the last time she had run before Sunday’s event.