Peres Jepchirchir aims to make history by defending Olympic Marathon title

Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya is setting her sights on becoming the first woman in history to defend the Olympic marathon title at the Paris 2024 Games.

The 30-year-old marathoner has successfully returned from an injury last fall and has been named to Kenya’s Olympic team.

Jepchirchir rose to fame in 2021 when she clinched the Olympic marathon title at the Tokyo Games.

Initially, she was a reserve athlete and only joined the Kenyan team after Vivian Cheruiyot had to withdraw.

Now, she has the opportunity to defend her title after two injury-ridden seasons.

“I know there is a lot of pressure, but I will do my best, work hard for it, and make history,” Jepchirchir said in Kapsabet, the southern Kenyan town where she has been training for the Olympics.

Her gold medal in Tokyo was a surprising triumph, but she solidified her status by winning the New York Marathon in 2021.

This victory made her the first woman to win marathon titles in both Japan and the United States in the same year.

Source: africanews.com