How New York City Marathon winner Peres Jepchirchir made history

Peres Jepchirchir
(Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images)

Peres Jepchirchir already won gold at the Olympics earlier this year, and now, she's made history at the New York City Marathon.

The 28-year-old from Kenya was victorious in the women's competition at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 39 seconds. In doing so, she became the "first runner to win both Olympic gold and the New York City Marathon," CNN reports. Jepchirchir previously won a gold medal in the women's marathon at the Tokyo Olympics, according to NPR.

"It's not easy," Jepchirchir told ESPN, referring to the New York City Marathon. "Toward the finishing line, I felt something I've never felt before to finish a marathon."

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Jepchirchir also told ESPN that "after I won the Olympic marathon, I was not expecting to win" the New York City Marathon, but she thanked "my God for the energy he has given me," per CNN. Albert Korir, who is also from Kenya, won the men's race, finishing in 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 22 seconds. He finished second in the marathon in 2019. There was no New York City Marathon in 2020 due to the pandemic.

"It was not an easy race, but I enjoyed it," Korir told ESPN.

Meanwhile, Molly Seidel, an Olympic bronze medalist, scored the fastest time in the marathon for an American woman and revealed she did so despite having broken two ribs, according to USA Today.

"It started hurting later in the race, like badly," she said. "But I didn't feel like it was messing up my stride or anything. I went all out with what God gave me today. I think I made the most of the situation I was in."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.