Sydney Marathon, here we come!

You can almost hear reigning world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir shouting as she looks to bounce back in the World Marathon Majors series after her injury-enforced withdrawal from the London Marathon in April.

Jepchirchir, the seventh fastest woman marathon runner in history, is targeting a podium finish at the Sydney Marathon on Sunday as the race marks its second year in the seven-event elite World Major series.She warned she is in top shape and ready to take on the best in the world.

“I'm heading to Australia well prepared. I know the race shall be competitive but I will do my best to run an impressive race and finish top-three,” Jepchirchir told Nation Sport in Kapsabet on Monday before flying out to Oceania.

The 32-year-old Jepchirchir, a multiple winner of major world road events, will be racing in Australia for the first time in her career.

Despite being unfamiliar with the Sydney course, widely considered the most challenging among the World Marathon Majors due to its significant elevation gain, the 2024 London Marathon, 2022 Boston Marathon and 2021 New York Marathon champion is confident that she will be on the podium.

“After missing the London Marathon in April, we decided with my manager to go for the Sydney Marathon. I don't know much about the course but I will tackle the road as I always do, with my eyes on a top finish,” she said.

Also Read: Peres Jepchirchir- Why the Kenyan star calls Valencia 'the international league'

Dutch woman Sifan Hassan holds the Sydney women’s course record after winning last year’s race in 2:18:22.

Peris Jepchirchir — Kenya's Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir wins her third world half marathon title at the at the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, on Sunday, October 1, 2023.

Photo credit: World Athletics

The course features about 313 meters of total elevation gain including a brutal one-kilometer climb around the 39km mark.

Jepchirchir, who holds three World Half Marathon Championships individual gold medals, owns a marathon personal best time of 2:14:43 and is certainly capable of attacking the course record.

On whether the race is part of her build-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where she hopes to reclaim the title she won in Tokyo in 2021, Jepchirchir, ranked fourth in the world, remained cautious, saying that it was too early to talk about LA Games with two more marathon seasons to come.

“2028 is still too far to be planned for. The future is bright and we shall cross that bridge when we get there,” she said.

Expected to offer stiff competition to Jepchirchir in Sydney is compatriot and former Hamburg Marathon winner Irene Cheptai, who is the second fastest woman in the field with a personal best of 2:17:51.

Also in the mix are Vivian Cheruiyot (PB 2:18:31), Sharon Chelimo (2:19:33), Joyce Tele (2:19:50), Jackline Cherono (2:21:14) and Priscah Cherono (2:25:17), all Kenyans.

World Marathon Champion Peres Jepchirchir.

Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group

The Kenyan contingent will also have to reckon with Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri (2:18:03), Ethiopians Ruti Aga (2:18:09), Shure Demise (2:18:34), Haven Hailu (2:19:09) and Uganda’s Stella Chesang (2:18:26) among other top athletes.

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Jepchirchir, revealed she had overcome a stress fracture on her leg that she picked at last year’s Valencia Marathon, where she clocked a personal best despite finishing second behind her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei, who won in 2:14:00.

“I expected it would heal before the London Marathon this year but it was all in vain and we had to cancel London and continue with the healing process,” she said.

The injury denied the accomplished long distance runner a highly anticipated showdown in the English capital city with women's only world record holder Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa.

The Ethiopian inevitably won the race, clocking a new record of 2:15.41 with Hellen Obiri and Jepkosgei finishing second and third, respectively.

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