Defending Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has revealed she will skip the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August.
In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Jepchirchir confirmed, she will turn a blind eye to the global showpiece. However, she could not give a reason why or if she has any other project she is working on, adding that her manager will advise on the way forward.
"I'm certainly not going to Budapest for the World Championships. I just want to concentrate on other marathon events for the rest of the season," Jepchirchir said.
Her decision means she will miss the championships for the second consecutive year after failing to feature in the 2022 World Championships in Oregon due to a nagging hip injury.
Jepchirchir was speaking upon return from England, where she finished second to compatriot Hellen Obiri at Sunday's Great Manchester 10km Run. Jepchirchir timed 31:35, 21 seconds behind the two-time world 5,000m champion with home girl Calli Thackery wrapping up the podium places in 32:51.
The 10km run was Jepchirchir's first race since coming third at the London Marathon in April, where she timed 2:18:38 in a competition won by Dutch woman Sifan Hassan.
Jepchirchir said the event was part of her preparation for the next marathon project.
“Competing on on Sunday is just part of my training as we start another marathon season. I’m still waiting for confirmation from my management on which race I will be competing in next,” said Jepchirchir, adding that she was content with her performance in the UK city.
"Considering the challenging weather conditions, I am happy with the results I posted in the race. I'm thrilled with the time I set, but I want to beat it in my next event."
The Kapsabet-based runner revealed she is working all by herself.
"I'm not affiliated with any training camp. I've been working out all by myself while preparing for the races," she said.
After being out for a considerable amount of time due to injuries, Jepchirchir said it feels nice to compete once more.
"It was a nice feeling for me to compete at the London Marathon. I was testing my body and I was thrilled with how well I did," she said.
Jepchirchir has a chequered career on the road with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal top of her list.
She timed 2:27.20 in wanting conditions to become the first individual to win both the Olympic gold medal and the New York City Marathon in the same year.
She also clinched the 2022 Boston Marathon title in 2:21:02.
