Abdi Nageeye, Sheila Chepkirui use closing kicks to claim New York City Marathon wins
Defending women's champ Hellen Obiri placed second, while 2023 men's winner Tamirat Tola finished fourth. Americans Daniel Romanchuk and Susannah Scaroni claimed the wheelchair titles.
Athletics
Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui and Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands used respective final-mile kicks inside Central Park to claim New York City Marathon victories on Sunday (3 November).
Both runners were able to celebrate first marathon major titles on the streets of the Big Apple.
The 33-year-old Chepkirui won in 2:24:35, coming clear of 2023 champion and compatriot Hellen Obiri. The Olympic bronze medallist faded in the closing stages to clock in at 2:24:49.
Kenya swept the top three female places as 41-year-old Vivian Cheruiyot finished third at 2:25:21.
The men's race finished moments later with Nageeye, 35, victorious in 2:07:39. He outsprinted 2022 winner Evans Chebet, as the Kenyan finishing six seconds behind. Another Kenyan, 2021 winner Albert Korir, rounded out the top three with 2:08:00.
Nageeye claimed marathon silver at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021, but dropped out at Paris 2024 midway through. He's the first Dutch champion in New York City Marathon history.
"I kept telling myself, 'This is my day,'" Nageeye told U.S. broadcaster ESPN. "I was so focused that I [didn't realise] I was going to win. The Olympics was a disappointing race; very tough for me. But I said, 'I have to go to New York.' My goal was the podium, maybe win. ... I knew what I was capable of."
Sheila Chepkirui: 'I pushed myself to the limit'
For Chepkirui, it was a debut on the challenging, sneakily hilly New York course.
"In the last mile, it was really hard. I pushed myself," a breathless Chepkirui told ESPN. "[This] means that my training has been good. I'm so happy. I pushed myself to the limit."
Tamirat Tola, the reigning men's champion and gold medallist at Paris 2024, faded to fourth place around Mile 20 and was unable to break back into the top pack.
The men's wheelchair event finished first, with American Daniel Romanchuk re-capturing the NYC title for the first time since 2019, outsprinting David Weir for a winning time of 1:36:31. It was his third win here overall with reigning and six-time champion Marcel Hug back in fourth.
American Susannah Scaroni regained the women's wheelchair title she won for the first time in 2022, clocking in at 1:48:05 - some 10 minutes ahead of runner-up Tatyana McFadden.
Abdi Nageeye bounces back from Olympic disappointment
The men's marathon was held under brutal conditions during Paris 2024, with both heat and humidity impacting the race. It forced Nageeye off the course - a result that stuck with him until Sunday's race.
"That was one of my biggest disappointments ever," Nageeye said of the Olympics. "I told myself, 'You will never get that back.' So I focused on New York. Every day I was thinking about Paris [as motivation]."
It was Chebet and Korir who tried to break the race off the Queensborough Bridge at Mile 16, but the lead pack stayed seven runners deep.
As the racers rounded into Central Park for the final mile, just Nageeye and Chebet were left at the front with the Dutchman showing off his stronger kick to secure the victory.
It's a monumental one for him, his first at a marathon major - and one he believes could be a springboard.
"I'm still fresh," he told reporters after the race. "I think the next couple of years I will do much better [after this]. I was telling myself, 'The next three marathons I have to win one of them.' And I won here."
Since 2010, Chepkirui is the sixth Kenyan woman to claim the New York title. The country's sweep of the women's podium marks a NYC first since 1976, when the U.S. women went 1-2-3.
Sara Vaughn was the top home woman on the day, clocking 2:25:56 to claim seventh. Conner Mantz was the first U.S. man, placing sixth with 2:09:00.