Peres Jepchirchir (born 27 September 1993) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes mainly in road running competitions. She won the gold medal in the women's marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Jepchirchir was the champion at the 2016 and 2020 World Half Marathon Championships. She claimed victories at the 2021 New York City and 2022 Boston Marathon and finished third at the 2023 London Marathon. She claimed a further victory at the 2024 London Marathon, finishing in two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds and breaking the women’s only world record (that is, the world record for the fastest time by a female marathon runner without using male pace makers).
Her best time for the half marathon of 1:05:06, set on 10 February 2017 in the UAE, is a former half marathon world record. Until September 2026, she held 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.
Early life Jepchirchir was born on a farm in Turbo, Kenya among 28 siblings, and her father had three wives. Her mother died when she was two years old, and she was adopted by an uncle and raised in Kamagut. She is a member of the Kalenjin people.
Career Jepchirchir ran track while at school and was spurred on by the achievements of fellow Kenyan Mary Keitany, who was a world half marathon champion at the time. After dropping out of high school at age 18 because she could not afford school fees, she began to pursue running as a career as a way out of poverty. She began to compete in road races in 2013, starting with two wins at 10K runs in South Africa, then a third-place finish at the Kisumu Marathon in her native Kenya, finishing the distance in 2:47:33 hours.Peres Chepchirchir. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 26 March 2016. She turned to cross country running at the start of 2014 and managed to take second place to Faith Kipyegon at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships – her first significant finish at national level.Mutuota, Mutwiri (15 February 2014). Karoki and Kipyegon win in Nairobi. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-03-26.
Her talent was spotted by Gianni Demadonna's team and she began to earn invitations to high level European road races.Peres Jepchirchir. IAAF. Retrieved on 26 March 2016. She won three straight races in France in late 2014, winning the Le Lion Half Marathon (in a course record of 69:12 minutes),Le Lion Half Marathon. ARRS (1 October 2015). Retrieved on 2016-03-26. the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale,Minshull, Phil (26 October 2014). Mbishei and Chepchirchir make it a Kenyan double at the Marseille-Cassis 20km. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-03-26. then the Corrida de Houilles. She was narrowly runner-up to Janet Kisa at the end-of-year BOclassic 5K.Sampaolo, Diego (31 December 2014). Edris ends Merga's streak in Bolzano as Kisa leads Kenyan 1-2. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-03-26.
She made her highest profile appearance yet at the 2015 London Marathon, but failed to build on her shorter distance achievements, as she could not finish the full marathon distance. However, she began to reach the peaks of road running in 10K and half marathon that year. Her best of 30:55 minutes at the Prague Grand Prix was the second fastest globally for the season and one week later she set a course record of 67:17 minutes to win the Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon – a time which placed her seventh on the year's top lists.Jepchirchir shatters course record at Usti nad Labem Half Marathon. IAAF (12 September 2015). Retrieved on 2016-03-26.senior outdoor 2015 10 Kilometres women. IAAF. Retrieved on 26 March 2016.Jepchirchir runs world-leading 10km, 30:55 in Prague. IAAF (5 September 2015). Retrieved on 2016-03-26.senior outdoor 2015 Half Marathon women. IAAF. Retrieved on 26 March 2016. She also defended her title in Marseille in October.Kipyego and Jepchirchir triumph at challenging Marseille-Cassis 20km. IAAF (25 October 2015). Retrieved on 2016-03-26.
Jepchirchir set a new best of 66:39 minutes at the 2016 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon. Despite the fast time, which moved her to 13th on the all-time lists, the strength in depth of the race left her in fourth some way behind winner Cynthia Cherotich Limo while six women ran quicker than 67 minutes (a first for the sport).Minshull, Phil (12 February 2016). Limo leads home a record six women under 67 minutes at the RAK Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-03-26. This performance earned her a place on the Kenyan team for the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. The five-woman team led out the start of the race, with Ethiopia's Netsanet Gudeta and Genet Yalew also in contention. As the race progressed, this was whittled down to a Kenyan trio of Jepchirchir, Limo and Mary Wacera Ngugi, and this eventually resulted in a sprint finish between Limo and Jepchirchir. Despite having been among the least experienced and well-known of the Kenyan team, it was Jepchirchir who emerged as world champion, finishing the race in 67:31 minutes and leading the Kenyan women to the team title and a podium sweep with Limo and Ngugi. Geoffrey Kamworor, Karoki beat Farah as Peres Jepchirchir wins women's category. Kenya Standard (26 March 2016). Retrieved on 2016-03-26.Mulkeen, Jon (26 March 2016). Report: women's race – IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff 2016. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-03-26.
A course record came at the Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon in April, with her run of 67:21 minutes.Wu, Vincent (24 April 2016). World champion Jepchirchir sets course record at Yangzhou Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-04-24. At the 2017 RAK Half Marathon she broke two world records. She took three seconds off Florence Kiplagat's half marathon record in 65:06 minutes and set the 20K world record at 61:40 minutes.Mulkeen, Jon (10 February 2017). Jepchirchir breaks world half marathon record in Ras al-Khaimah. IAAF. Retrieved on 2017-04-01. Her position as the world's best was short-lived, however, as Joyciline Jepkosgei (third at the RAK race) broke both her world records the following month.Mulkeen, Jon (1 April 2017). Jepkosgei breaks four world records at Prague Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2017-04-01.
In the 2020 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in a time of 2:27.20, given to her by Thomas Bach. She won the 2021 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:22:39, becoming the first person to win the Olympic gold medal and the New York City Marathon in the same year. She won the 2022 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:21:02. Due to her hip injury, Jepchirchir had to miss the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
She won the 2024 London Marathon, finishing in two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds and breaking the women’s only world record (that is, the world record for the fastest time by a female marathon runner without using male pace makers).
Achievements Personal bests 5K run – 15:51 (Bolzano 2014) 10K run – 30:55 (Prague 2015) Half marathon – 1:05:06 (Ras Al Khaimah 2017) Half marathon – 1:05:16 (Gdynia 2020) World record Marathon – 2:16:16 (London 2024) World record *Pending Ratification
International competitions 2016World Half Marathon ChampionshipsCardiff, United Kingdom1stHalf marathon1:07:311stTeam3:22:592020World Half Marathon ChampionshipsGdynia, Poland1stHalf marathon1:05:16 WRwo2ndTeam3:18:102021Olympic GamesSapporo, Japan1stMarathon2:27:202025World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan1stMarathon2:24:43World Marathon Majors2021New York MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:22:392022Boston MarathonBoston, MA, United States1stMarathon2:21:012023London MarathonLondon, United Kingdom3rdMarathon2:18:382024London MarathonLondon, United Kingdom1stMarathon2:16:16WRwo* Notes:*Pending IAAF ratification.
Road race wins 2013: Durban 10K Cityrun (2) 2014: Montbéliard-Belfort Le Lion Half Marathon, Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale 20K, Corrida de Houilles 10K 2015: Prague Grand Prix 10K, Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon, Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale 20K 2016: Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon, Bangalore World 10K, Ottawa 10K, Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon, Valencia Half Marathon 2017: Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon 2019: Portugal Half Marathon, Saitama International Marathon 2020: Prague Half Marathon, Valencia Marathon
References
External links
All Athletics profile