Sunday’s London Marathon was as thrilling for followers because it was for runners, with a dash end on the ladies’s aspect as reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir stormed to a brand new women-only course report of two:16:16 (bettering the earlier report of two:17:02 set by Mary Keitany on the 2017 London Marathon).
🇰🇪HISTORY!🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/FdcB4sq1Kt
— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) April 21, 2024
(The ladies-only class refers to a race the place ladies run with none male athletes in competitors or as pacers, which is the case in London, since ladies and men begin at totally different occasions.) Paula Radcliffe’s course report of two:15:25, set in a blended race in 2003, stays intact for now.
There have been additionally some startling ends in the lads’s race; with solely three kilometres to go, Kenya’s Alexander Munyao took the lead, crossing the road in 2:04:01 and denying Ethiopian distance legend Kenenisa Bekele a hoped-for first London Marathon win. Bekele did, nevertheless, set a brand new masters marathon report together with his time of two:04:15, bettering his personal report of two:04:19 (from the Valencia Marathon in 2023). Britain’s Emile Cairess ran constantly to take third in 2:06:46, making him the second-fastest British marathon runner of all time after Mo Farah and incomes himself a spot on the beginning line for Staff GB on the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Ladies’s race
With a stacked elite lineup that included three out of the highest 4 ladies marathoners in historical past, the opportunity of a brand new women-only report was a lot mentioned within the build-up to Sunday’s race. Jepchirchir (who took third within the 2023 London Marathon and received the Boston Marathon in 2022) toed the road alongside fan favorite and world report holder, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, who ran a staggering 2:11:53 on the 2023 Berlin Marathon. Becoming a member of them was Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei, who has received the London Marathon twice (2019 and 2020) and Ruth Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion. It was anybody’s guess who would take the win, and the race was thrilling all the way down to the ultimate moments.
WORLD RECORD ‼️
Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir breaks the women-only marathon world report* with 2:16:16 on the @LondonMarathon after a loopy dash end 🤯
*Topic to the same old ratification procedures#londonmarathon2024 pic.twitter.com/FdiWaqledu
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) April 21, 2024
A lead pack that additionally contained Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei and Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu caught shut collectively for nearly everything of the race, with Jepkosgei, Alemu, Assefa and Jepchirchir getting into the ultimate kilometre nonetheless jostling for place. Jepchirchir broke away with just a few hundred metres to go, ending solely seven seconds forward of Assefa, who ran 2:16:23. Alemu, who completed third and second on the 2022 and 2023 London Marathon respectively, captured the ultimate spot on the rostrum in 2:16:34.
“I’m feeling grateful and so pleased for in the present day’s victory. I used to be not anticipating to beat the world report. I knew we’d beat it however I used to be not anticipating it to be me,” Jepchirchir informed media post-race. “I’m pleased to be going to the Olympics. My prayer was to be there and my prayer there’s to defend my title. I do know it’s not going to be simple however I’ll strive my greatest.”
The beginning of one thing particular. 👏🇰🇪#LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/GFywdes1dL
— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) April 21, 2024
Males’s race
Earlier than the lads’s race started, runners paid tribute to final 12 months’s winner, Kelvin Kiptum, the world-record holder who was killed alongside together with his coach in a automobile crash in February.
A video of Kiptum’s 2023 London win was performed earlier than the beginning of the lads’s race, adopted by a interval of applause by the runners and the gang. Kiptum had set a London Marathon course report of two:01:25 in 2023, earlier than setting the world report ultimately 12 months’s Chicago Marathon.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE! 🇰🇪
Alexander Munyao fights of Kenenisa Bekele and wins the 2024 TCS London Marathon.#LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/CmRY8Gv1Dp
— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) April 21, 2024
Munyao received the 2023 Prague Worldwide Marathon in 2:05:09, setting a brand new course report, and may boast the Valencia Half Marathon course report of 57:59. Bekele, the previous Olympic 10,000 and 5,000m champion, completed third on the London Marathon in 2016 and was second in 2017.
“I’m pleased for successful the race in the present day which is my quickest ever marathon,” Munyao mentioned to media post-race. “At 40 kilometres I acquired some strain from Bekele however I had loads of confidence as a result of I skilled for this race. After 40km I assumed I had sufficient power to win. That’s why I kicked and I knew I might win.”
Wheelchair outcomes
Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland received her second London Marathon on Sunday, dominating the sphere from begin to end and breaking the tape in 1:38:54. Her compatriot, Manuela Schär, completed second, in 1:45:00 (after additionally ending second on the Boston Marathon, simply six days earlier) and Tatjana McFadden of the U.S. was third, in 1:45:51. Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper completed sixth after successful final week’s Boston Marathon.
London Marathon quantity 5️⃣ for Marcel Hug.#LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/PAZTujjfKQ
— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) April 21, 2024
The lads’s podium was a repeat of final week’s Boston Marathon, with Marcel Hug successful his fourth London Marathon in a row (and his fifth altogether), breaking the tape in 1:28:35, adopted by the U.S.’s Daniel Romanchuk in second place (1:29:06) and Britain’s David Weir in third (1:29:58).
For full outcomes of the 2024 London Marathon, head right here.