Kenya’s women representatives in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi, are set to face formidable competition. Lokedi, the New York Marathon champion, and Obiri, a two-time world 5000m champion and two-time Olympic 5000m silver medallist, are expected to vie for gold medals.
Obiri, who won the Boston Marathon on her debut with a time of 2:21:38, added the New York title to her achievements before returning to Boston this year to defend her title with a time of 2:22:37.
Ethiopia poses the toughest challenge for Kenya, featuring Tigist Assefa, who became a strong contender for Olympic gold in Paris after setting a world record of 2:11:53 at last year’s Berlin Marathon, cutting more than two minutes off the time Brigid Kosgei set at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. This was Assefa’s third marathon after initially competing in other disciplines, including the 800m race.
Additionally, the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan, the current Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion, won the 2023 London Marathon on her debut and recorded the second-best time ever in winning the Chicago Marathon in October with a time of 2:13:44, making her another strong contender.
Peres Jepchirchir, an Olympic champion, set a women’s-only world record of 2:16:16 at this year’s London Marathon. Tigist Assefa finished close behind in second place with a time of 2:16:23, followed by Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei in third and Ethiopian Megertu Alemu in fourth.
In March 2024, Sifan Hassan finished fourth in the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:18:05. It remains uncertain how this result will affect her competition choices for Paris, where she is contemplating participating in events ranging from 1500m to the marathon.
“I still have three weeks to have good training, and then I will decide which distances I will run in Paris. At this moment I don’t have a goal for Paris, but for now, I want to be the best in all distances, and then I will decide,” Hassan told World Athletics.
Other notable contenders who could pose a strong challenge to the Kenyan team include Bahrain’s 2017 world champion Rose Chelimo, Eunice Chumba, the USA’s Fiona O’Keeffe, Japan’s Asian record-holder Honami Maeda, Morocco’s world bronze medallist Fatima Gardadi, and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri.
