Nairobi — Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui held off a stiff problem from fellow countrywoman, Hellen Obiri, to win the New York Marathon on Sunday — her first-ever World Marathon Majors triumph.
Chepkirui clocked 2:24:35, forward of fast former defending champion Obiri, who ran 2:24:49 to complete second.
The 2016 Olympic 5000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot, completed third after clocking 2:25:21 in what was a podium sweep for Kenya.
One other Kenyan, Eunice Chumba, completed fourth in 2:25:58.
It was Chepkirui’s first win of the yr wherein her greatest consequence earlier than Sunday was a second-place end on the Kagawa Half Marathon in Japan the place she clocked 1:06:47.
Her final 42km race — the London Marathon in April — solely yielded a sixth-place end after timing 2:19:31.
Sunday’s race took a while earlier than the contenders could possibly be distinguished from the also-rans.
On the midway mark, the main pack consisted of as much as 20 runners – all of who inside 5 seconds of each other.
Nonetheless, with 18 miles gone, this quantity whittled right down to 10, together with Kenya’s Obiri, Cheruiyot, Chumba, Chepkirui in addition to Sharon Lokedi – winner of the race in 2022.
Three miles later, the race had actually taken form with Lokedi dropping off the main pack, which consisted of Obiri, Chepkirui, Chumba, Cheruiyot and Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi.
With the end line in sight, the race had morphed ontoa Kenyan affair with Obiri, Cheruiyot and Chepkirui combating for the highest honour.
Cheruiyot appeared to have thrown within the towel and it was left to the opposite two to proceed the battle to the end line.
Regardless of Obiri’s customary highly effective kick, Chepkirui held on for her first ever World Marathon Majors win — and an ideal ending to a yr of so-near-yet-so-far.
