Tough test for Jepkosgei, Cheruiyot in London Marathon

Two of the three fastest women in history will renew their rivalry in London with Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei and Vivian Cheruiyot facing a herculean task. 

Dutch star Sifan Hassan and Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa secured the top two spots in the Olympic marathon last year, respectively getting gold and silver after a thrilling sprint finish that saw Hassan pip Assefa by just three seconds in Paris.

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Now they return to London – Hassan for the first time since her epic marathon debut in 2023 and Assefa one year on from finishing runner-up to Peres Jepchirchir’s women-only world record.

Assefa sits second on the world marathon all-time list with the 2:11:53 she clocked when winning in Berlin in 2023.

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That was a world record at the time and saw her smash the previous mark by more than two minutes as she became the first woman to run inside 2:13 and 2:12. The world record has since been taken to 2:09:56 by Ruth Chepngetich.

Assefa also ran 2:15:37 to win in Berlin in 2022 and her time in London last year was 2:16:23 as she finished just seven seconds behind Jepchirchir. She will be looking for a similar performance this time as she not only goes up against Hassan, who has a best of 2:13:44, but also Jepkosgei and Megertu Alemu who completed the top four behind Assefa in London last year – the first marathon in which four women finished inside 2:17.

That 2:13:44 by Hassan was achieved in Chicago in 2023, five and a half months on from her dramatic debut in London where she overcame a series of setbacks to win in 2:18:33. She went on to finish fourth in Tokyo and become the Olympic champion in Paris, just 37 hours after getting bronze in the 10,000m and six days after another bronze in the 5000m. The race on Sunday will be her first since the Olympics.

Kenya’s Jepkosgei clocked 2:16:24 last year and Ethiopia’s Alemu ran 2:16:34 and they complete the sub-2:17 quartet contesting this year’s race. In addition to her third-place finish from last year, Jepkosgei won the 2021 London Marathon and finished runner-up in 2022, while Alemu won the Valencia Marathon in December and finished second to Hassan in London in 2023 and third in 2022.

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Uganda’s Stella Chesang was runner-up to Alemu that day in Valencia where she ran a national record of 2:18:26, and before that she finished eighth in the Olympic marathon.

They will be joined on the start line by Kenya’s 2018 London Marathon champion Cheruiyot who returns to the race for the first time in five years. More recently the 41-year-old multiple Olympic and world track medalist finished third at last year’s New York City Marathon. 

Great Britain’s Eilish McColgan, the Commonwealth 10,000m champion, will make her marathon debut.

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Elite field

Women

Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53

Sifan Hassan (NED) 2:13:44

Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:16:24

Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:16:34

Stella Chesang (UGA) 2:18:26

Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:18:31

Haven Hailu Desse (ETH) 2:19:29

Susanna Sullivan (USA) 2:21:56

Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:22:17

Sofiia Yaremchuk (ITA) 2:23:16

Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:23:21

Philippa Bowden (GBR) 2:25:47

Molly Bookmyer (USA) 2:28:52

Eilish McColgan (GBR) debut

Holly Archer (GBR) debut

Additional reporting by World Athletics