Peres Jepchirchir has revealed that she is feeling a lot of pressure ahead of the clash against Sifan Hassan, Ruth Chepng’etich and Co at the London Marathon.
Peres Jepchirchir is already feeling the pressure ahead of her title defence at the London Marathon scheduled for Sunday, April 27.
Just like the men’s field, the women’s line-up comprises some of the most iconic women to have ever graced the roads with Jepchirchir being one of the top performers.
During last year’s edition of the event, Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s race in a women-only world record time of 2:16:16 and she will be back to defend her title, going up against the stacked field.
The former Olympic marathon champion will line up against world record holder Ruth Chepng’etich who will be chasing her first title in London after finishing third and ninth in 2020 and 2024 respectively.
Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan and former world marathon record holder Tigst Assefa will also be in the mix, looking to continue their winning ways.
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Sifan Hassan won the race in her full marathon debut in 2023 where Jepchirchir finished third and they will now have a chance to renew their rivalry.
“I don’t know why the organisers decided to have all of us there. It will be very interesting for everyone to watch but very tough for the competing athletes. I personally feel the tension when I consider how strong the field is because for sure it cannot be easy,” Peres Jepchirchir admitted as quoted by Citizen Digital.
“At the same time, it gives me more reasons to work hard, no one can afford to sleep ahead of such a race, which makes it even more interesting.”
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With such a strong field assembled, Peres Jepchirchir revealed that her record might be broken, revealing that many women have the ability to run fast in that field and there has been the rise of super shoes.
“The field is very strong, so it’s very possible that my record will be broken. Many records have been broken recently in different races and so you expect to see faster times,” Jepchirchir said.
“I’m not limiting myself from breaking it also. There is a fighting chance for all, it depends on the athletes’ form that day because we don’t have pacemakers in the London Marathon. My encouragement is that I’m fully fit, so I’ll fight.”
She hopes her London Marathon performance will impress Athletics Kenya officials to include her in the Kenyan team to the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan later this year.
