The Peruvian athlete Gladys Tejeda finished in fifth place at the Zurich Marathon in Seville and qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The marathon runner achieved a time of two hours, 27 minutes, and eight seconds, which allows her to secure her participation in the Olympics.
The Peruvian athlete surpassed the minimum time required by World Athletics organization, which was two hours, 29 minutes, and 30 seconds, to compete in Tokyo 2020. The winner of the Seville Marathon was Ugandan runner Juliet Chekwel, followed by Ethiopian runners Gada Bontu and Sifan Melaku, who completed the podium in the women's category. Josephine Chepkoech from Kenya finished fourth.
"Based on the rankings, I am among the top 80 athletes worldwide, but I still have to secure my spot for Tokyo 2020 with the required time. I have prepared myself, I feel good, and I hope to achieve my goal," said Tejeda before the competition.
With the qualification to Tokyo 2020 that Gladys Tejeda just obtained, Peru will have 16 representatives in the Olympic Games to be held in the Japanese capital.
Gladys Tejeda has competed in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. Last year, she won the gold medal in the Women's Marathon at the 2019 Pan American Games.