With a duration of two hours, seven minutes, and 39 seconds, Netherland’s Abdi Nageeye won the New York City Marathon after a fierce battle over the last mile.
Evans Chebet, the 2022 champion, was on the verge of winning until Nageeye gave his all in the last 400 meters. The Kenyan then finished in second place with a time of 2:07:45, while his fellow Kenyan Albert Korir finished in third place with a time of 2:08:00.
With his win, Nageeye admitted: “I was just thinking I’m dreaming.” At the Paris Olympics, Nageeye unfortunately did not finish his race after colliding with another runner.
In a social media post, the athlete expressed: “NEW YORK 🥇🗽🇺🇸… What happened yesterday?!! 🤯🤯 So crazy to win biggest race in the world 🙌🏾 I felt so good sprinting away in Central Park towards the finish. Once again we never give up, this one will last forever 🙌🏾🙏🏾👏🏾”
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Highlights of the race
Chebet appeared to be in complete control as he raced down the Queensboro Bridge to pick up speed around the 16-mile mark in an attempt to break up the closely packed lead group.
However, Nageeye soon caught up to him, and by the last mile, the two athletes raced shoulder-to-shoulder as the crowd of fans cheered eagerly. Nageeye ran the final straight by himself as Chebet lost speed as they made the last turn.
In similar news, Sheila Chepkirui led a Kenyan sweep in the women’s podium with a performance record of 2:24:35. The athlete ran a faultless race, staying with the lead pack from the beginning and defeating reigning champion Hellen Obiri.
Obiri, also from Kenya, placed second after finishing 14 seconds later while another Kenyan, Vivian Cheruiyot, finished next with a time of 2:25:21. This was the first time since 1976 when three women from the same country had swept the podium in five boroughs.
Source: CNA