The 31-year-old, who had not contested a marathon all season prior to Tokyo, put up a great show to outsprint Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa in a thrilling homestretch battle. Jepchirchir, who won Olympic gold in her last outing in Japan four years ago, kicked hard with 100 metres to go to clock 2:24:43.
Assefa, who lost out on Olympic gold last year in a sprint finish, once again had to settle for silver in 2:24:45. Julia Paternain came through to take bronze in 2:27:23, earning Uruguay’s first ever medal at a senior global championships.
‘I was not expecting it’
“I feel grateful, and I thank God for the gold medal, I was not expecting it but I won, I feel so happy, to run here for my first World Championships, it is my first time, and my first medal in the Championships, so I feel grateful,” said Jepchirchir.
“When I entered the Stadium, I was feeling very exhausted, when I was around 400m mark, I started to increase my speed, and again I kicked hard when it was 200m mark, but when I reached the 100m mark, I saw the finishing line, so that is how I did it, energy comes from nowhere.”
She added: “In April, I was feeling so bad, because I was in a great shape, I had prepared well for the season but I twisted the ankle, so the doctors told me it was better to rest, than to make it a stressful fracture, so I was tired, I was so stressed, but I didn’t lose hope, I came back with my shape, I was in great shape preparing for London, but I rested for two months and resumed my training for World Championships.
“Before, I was having that feeling that I was going to run in the World Championship, I was to run in Berlin, but I said no… let me go and run in the World Championship.”
On whether the weather condition was conducive, she said: “it was so tough, it was so tough, but I thank God I managed it.”
Jepchirchir dedicates medal to Kenyans
On her next plan after the latest success, Jepchirchir, who holds the women’s only half marathon world record of 1:05:16 set at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, which was an improvement on her own previous record, explained: “I am going back home, you know this is the only marathon I have raced this year, I am expecting to run another one before the end of this year, God willing.
“She continued: “This is my first marathon this year, so maybe at the end of this year I will compete again.”
Asked to reveal which marathon she is targeting to compete in, she responded: “I don’t know, I will have to go and seek an audience with my manager to see which race is available for me to go and run.”
She concluded: “I am dedicating the medal to all my Kenyans, my fans, and Kenya for believing in us and praying for us, I am dedicating this to Kenyans.
“I have very good memories here (in Tokyo), I ran my first Olympic marathon here, and I think this is the second World Championship here, and I ran my first marathon here, I have very good memories here in Tokyo, Japan.”
Jepchirchir was the champion at the 2016 and 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, and claimed victories at the 2021 New York City and 2022 Boston Marathon, before finishing third at the 2023 London Marathon.
