Peres Jepchirchir, the former Olympic marathon champion, has come to terms with the disappointment of not defending her title at the Paris Games. Despite the outcome, she remains grateful for the opportunity to compete and for the strength to complete the race.
Jepchirchir, who had high hopes of winning a second consecutive Olympic title, attributed her performance to the difficult weather conditions during the marathon. “The weather was challenging, especially for me. I had trained hard, participated in several races leading up to the Olympics, and even set a new women-only record. Although the race was tough, I’m thankful that I finished. Finishing 15th was something I had never experienced before, but I’m grateful for that,” said Jepchirchir, a two-time world half marathon champion.
She also expressed her disappointment that the Kenyan marathon team, both men and women, couldn’t retain their titles, noting that they had hoped for a clean sweep of the podium.
“It was a tough race. I went in with the goal of defending my title, but it wasn’t easy. While we were disappointed with the outcome, we are still thankful for the two bronze medals we won,” Jepchirchir said.
Kenya’s medals in the marathon came from Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri, who each claimed bronze. This was a departure from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where Eliud Kipchoge and Jepchirchir both won gold.
Jepchirchir struggled on the final day of the Paris Olympics, finishing 15th with a time of 2:26:51. Although she started strong and stayed with the leading pack until the 30km mark, she gradually fell behind.
With the Paris Olympics behind her, the 2022 Boston Marathon champion plans to analyze her performance and make necessary adjustments for the future. “I won’t be celebrating because I didn’t bring home a medal. I’ll take time to recover and reflect on what’s next. Only God knows,” she said.
Jepchirchir returned to Kenya on Tuesday night, ready to focus on the next steps in her career.
