SYDNEY, Australia, Aug 30 – World champion Peres Jepchirchir added another title in her glitering trophy cabinet after winning her fourth World Major Series in Sydney Marathon on Sunday morning.
Jepchirchir was a clear winner of the women’s race in 2:18:31 at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race, leading her fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai (2:22:11) to a 1-2 finish.
In the corresponding men’s race, Ethiopian Addisu Gobena broke the course record in a time of 2:04:42, while the top Kenyan Vincent Ngetich (2:05:28) finished seventh.
Jepchirchir, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, gradually reeled in early leader Priscah Cherono before breaking away from Cheptai after 30km.
The Kenyan went on to win by more than three minutes in 2:18:31, just nine seconds shy of the course record set by Sifan Hassan last year.
The women’s race unfolded in very different fashion as 46-year-old Kenyan veteran Cherono made an audacious early break.
The 2007 world 5000m bronze medallist passed 5km in 15:34, with Jepchirchir leading a 10-woman chase group 13 seconds behind.
Cherono extended her advantage to 23 seconds at 10km, which she reached in 31:37 – 16 seconds faster than her official PB for the distance, set in 2002.
She continued to lead through 15km in 48:20, although her margin had been cut to 15 seconds over Jepchirchir and 2017 world cross-country champion Cheptai. The Kenyan pair had in turn opened a small gap on Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri and Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye.
Cherono was still clear at halfway, reaching that point in 1:07:58 – 37 seconds faster than her official half marathon PB from 2012. Jepchirchir and Cheptai were 29 seconds behind.
The pace put the leaders well ahead of the schedule set during Hassan’s course-record victory last year, when the Dutch athlete passed halfway in 1:10:01 before winning in 2:18:22.
Cherono’s advantage gradually disappeared, though, and shortly before 28km Jepchirchir and Cheptai caught her. The Kenyan trio passed 30km together in 1:37:48, equivalent to 2:17:34 pace, and were already 1:46 clear of Uganda’s Stella Chesang in fourth.
Cherono finally began to lose contact a couple of kilometres later, leaving the two pre-race favourites together at the front.
Jepchirchir then began to pull away from Cheptai before 35km, reaching that checkpoint in 1:54:47 – exactly on course-record pace. Although her tempo gradually slowed over the final kilometres, her advantage over the rest of the field continued to grow.
By 40km she led Cheptai by about two minutes and the Olympic and world champion was able to enjoy an unchallenged run to the finish, crossing the line in 2:18:31.
Cheptai held on for second in 2:22:11, while Ethiopia’s Shure Demise came through to take third in 2:22:33. Cherono eventually finished sixth but was rewarded for her aggressive run with a PB of 2:23:49, more than a minute faster than the mark she had brought into the race.
Leading results
Women
1 Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:18:31
2 Irine Cheptai (KEN) 2:22:11
3 Shure Demise (ETH) 2:22:33
4 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:22:57
5 Meseret Abebayahu (ETH) 2:23:40
6 Priscah Cherono (KEN) 2:23:49
7 Stella Chesang (UGA) 2:23:52
8 Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:25:18
9 Ellie Pashley (AUS) 2:28:28
10 Aberu Ayana (ETH) 2:28:30
Men
1 Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:04:42
2 Chimdessa Debele (ETH) 2:04:46
3 Tebello Ramakongoana (LES) 2:04:57
4 Alphonce Simbu (TAN) 2:04:57
5 Jemal Mekonnen (ETH) 2:04:59
6 Hailemaryam Kiros (ETH) 2:05:16
7 Vincent Ngetich (KEN) 2:05:28
8 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:06:41
9 Kennedy Kimutai (KEN) 2:06:50
10 Gilbert Kibet (KEN) 2:07:13
