Slowed down by injury, Peres Chepchirchir is not far from getting back to her best. As proof, the two-time Olympic champion won gold in the half-marathon at the Road World Championships in Riga.The 30-year-old is warning her rivals about the Olympics. Jepchirchir is aiming for a third Olympic title.
Will Peres Jepchirchir soon be back on top? In any case, the athlete gave a good answer in the half-marathon at the Riga Worlds. The 30-year-old Kenyan took the top step of the podium with a time of 1h07mn25s. There had been doubts about Jepchirchir when she came third in the London Marathon in April. Sifan Hassan’s finishing speed proved too much for her as she approached Buckingham Palace. But the double Olympic champion could only take positives. “I was happy because I was only able to train for two months while I was preparing for London, so for me I was happy because I was coming back.”
Sifan Hassan, a competitor to be taken seriously for the next few events. But Jepchirchir sees it above all as a source of motivation. “I can say that it’s good to have such strong rivals because they push hard and that helps me to work very hard”.
Yet at her best, few athletes can match her. In 2022, Jepchrichir laid down the law over the 42.195km. She became the first woman to win gold at the Olympic Games and the titles in New York and Boston. Unfortunately, Jepchirchir began to develop a hip problem and her last outing of 2022 was a defeat to Hellen Obiri at the Great North Run half marathon. The Kenyan seems to be recovering from this problem. The athlete is already focusing on the Olympic Games.On 5 November, she will be taking part in the New York half-marathon, where she will be seeking revenge on Hellen Obiri.
