Kenyan runner Peres Jepchirchir has smashed the world record in Half Marathon held at Prague, the capital city of Czech Republic. Ms Jepchirchir smashed a world record previously set by fellow contestant Netsanet Gudeta from neighboring Ethiopia. Jepchirchir who is only 26 years old clocked in at 1:05:34 for the 21 km half marathon to crush the world record that has stood unchallenged for more 12 years.
Top ranking Kenyan leaders including the ODM party leader Mr. Raila Odinga and the Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Mr, Kipchumba Murkomen have sent their congratulatory message to Peres Jepchirchir for representing Kenya well abroad.
From the get-go, Peres Jepchirchir started out with a high rate of speed the Prague’s Letna Park. So fast was her that by the 30:32, she had already crossed 10km mark with only half way left to complete the 21 km race. Should she had maintained that pace, she could have finished the race with a 1:01:00 time. But it looks like she wore herself down and slowed a bit as the race progressed.
But she had already done more than enough to cement her name into the history books by beating the previous global record. “I was thinking to run maybe 1:04:50, but I’m so happy,” Peres Jepchirchir said after the race.
This is not the first time Peres Jepchirchir has broken the world record. At the 2017 RAK Half Marathon, Peres Jepchirchir broke not one but two world records. She completed two second a head of fellow Kenyan Florence Kiplagat’s previous half marathon world record of 1:05:06 and also set a 20km race world record of 1:1:40. But her world records were broken a month later by Joyciline Jepkosgei who was third at the RAK Half marathon.
She also won two gold medals in the 2016 Cardiff, England Half Marathon where she finished with 1:07:31 min on the clock.
Her professional athletics debut was in 2014 when she was spotted by Gianni Demaddona, the former Italian male long distance runner who invited her to compete in European sports. Not to let him down, she won two back-to-back races in 2014.
