Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir beats Ethiopa's Tigst Assefa to marathon gold

Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir produced a lung-busting final 100m sprint to win a dramatic women's marathon at the world championships on Sunday.

In the sole final of the second morning session at the National Stadium in Japan, Jepchirchir edged Ethiopa's Tigst Assefa for gold by just two seconds after an epic tussle.

The pair were neck-and-neck coming into the final kilometre of a gruelling marathon run in hot and humid weather.

Former world record holder Assefa chanced her arm as she bolted down the back straight.

Jepchirchir covers pace

But Jepchirchir dug deep to battle back past her stuttering Ethiopian rival for a breathless gold.

Jepchirchir, Olympic champion at the same venue in the Covid-delayed 2021 Olympics, timed 2hr 24min 43sec for victory.

"It was not my ultimate plan to sprint in the final metres, but when I saw I was 100m from the finish, I just started to kick. I found some hidden energy there," Jepchirchir said.

Sunday's evening session is a loaded one, notably with finals in the men and women's 100m.