Uganda’s Stella Chesang delivered a strong performance on her 42KM marathon debut, finishing sixth at the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, April 27.
Chesang crossed the line in 2:22:42, showcasing impressive endurance and composure in one of the world’s most competitive marathon fields.
Competing against an elite line-up, Chesang maintained a steady pace throughout the race.
After passing the halfway point in the chasing pack, she continued to close strongly in the final stages, ultimately placing just 10 seconds behind Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot, the 2018 London Marathon champion.
Chesang finished ahead of Italy’s Sofiia Yaremchuk, who set a national record, and Great Britain’s Eilish McColgan, who was making her own marathon debut.
The women’s race was won by Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, who broke the women-only marathon world record with a time of 2:15:50.
Assefa pulled away after 35km to secure victory, ahead of Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei (2:18:44) and the Netherlands’ Olympic champion Sifan Hassan (2:19:00).
In the men’s race, fellow Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo impressed with a strong debut. The world half marathon record-holder finished second in 2:03:37, setting a new Ugandan national marathon record.
Kiplimo was runner-up to Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe, who won in 2:02:27, the second-fastest time in London Marathon history.
