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Kenya: Peres Jepchirchir, Joyciline Jepkosgei Renew Rivalry in Monday’s Boston Marathon

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4 years ago

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Boston — Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir and London Marathon winner Joyciline Jepkosgei will renew their rivalry when they clash at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

The Kenyan duo have similar backgrounds in that they initially made a name for themselves at the half marathon, breaking world records and earning global medals at that distance.

It’s only since 2019 that both women started to focus more on the full marathon, but already they have achieved great things at the classic distance.

After a DNF in London in 2019, Jepkosgei rebounded later in the year to win the New York City Marathon in 2:22:38, narrowly missing the long-standing course record. One month later, Jepchirchir set a PB of 2:23:50 to win the Saitama Marathon.

In December 2020 the two women clashed at the Valencia Marathon with Jepchirchir winning in 2:17:16 and Jepkosgei taking second place in a PB of 2:18:40.

Jepchirchir achieved the ultimate prize in the sport in 2021, winning the Olympic title at the Tokyo Games. Later in the year, she won the New York Marathon in 2:22:39.

Jepkosgei didn’t compete at the Olympics, but she won the London Marathon last year in a lifetime best of 2:17:43.

In terms of head-to-head clashes between the pair, Jepchirchir has won all three of their encounters to date – two at the half marathon and one in the marathon.

She also has the slightly faster marathon PB. Jepkosgei, meanwhile, has a better set of PBs at other distances, and her winning time in New York three years ago is one second faster than Jepchirchir’s victory on the same course in 2021.

The fact that both have won in New York – a relatively hilly course – will stand them in good stead for Monday’s race. Likewise, both women have performed well in championship races with no pacemakers, which will be similar to the race in Boston.