Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei admits she would have beloved to clock a private finest (PB) on her technique to second place at Sunday’s London Marathon.
The 2021 London Marathon champion says the race didn’t pan out in accordance with her expectations.
“I’m feeling so grateful that I’ve arrived safely on the end line. At first, my goal was to set a brand new PB however I’m so grateful. Marathon is so completely different…issues do not all the time go in accordance with plan,” Jepkosgei mentioned.
The previous world marathon document holder clocked 2:18:43 in Sunday’s race, which is shut to 2 minutes slower than the time she set finally 12 months’s version of the identical competitors by which she completed third (2:16:24).
Olympics silver medalist Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia clocked a women-only document of two:15:50 to chop the tape as Olympic champion Sifan Hassan completed third in 2:18:59.
It was a race that had for half of it been a two-horse battle between Assefa and Jepkosgei, the 2 exchanging the lead severally after Hassan had pale away within the background.
Nevertheless, the Ethiopian lastly broke away within the final 8km, working a lone race to ultimately declare victory.
Jepkosgei admits the humid climate of the day lastly received the very best of her.
“On the 35km mark, it was so humid and I began feeling the consequences on my physique. The physique was not responding in addition to it was once I began the race so I made a decision to regulate myself…protect my power so I may end sturdy,” the 2021 London Marathon champion defined.
The competitors was Jepkosgei’s third in 2025, following the Nationwide Cross Nation Championships and the Barcelona Half Marathon in February and March, respectively.
She clocked 35:02 to complete fourth in Eldoret earlier than timing 1:04:13 to triumph in Barcelona.