Tokyo, Sept. 14 -- Tokyo Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir emerged victorious from a thrilling duel with Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia to take the women's marathon gold medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships here on Sunday.
Kenya's Jepchirchir and Assefa pulled clear from other runners before 30km and remained together all the way until entering the Japan National Stadium for the final stretch. 28-year-old Assefa, who set the women-only world marathon record of 2:15:50 in April in London, was the first to launch her charge with some 250 meters to go. Jepchirchir managed to keep up and surged ahead near the final bend to hit the finish line first in 2:24:43.
"It was not my ultimate plan to sprint in the final meters, but when I saw I ...