Eritrean Ghirmay Ghebreslassie became the youngest winner of the New York marathon on Sunday at the age of 20. He beat down his rivals with an acceleration in the middle of the race, while Kenya’s Mary Keitany, 34, won for the third time in a row after a single rider.
Ghebreslassie had already become, in 2015, the youngest world champion over the distance, winning at 19 in Beijing. This title was not just flash in the pan since this son of a villager born about a hundred kilometers from Asmara – who would have started running against his father’s advice – won in New York from its first participation. All this two and a half months after his 4th place at the Rio Olympics.
The Eritrean landed a first mine around the middle of the race, then a second about 10 km later, enough to wring out his last rivals. The defending champion, the Kenyan Stanley Biwott, dropped from the 15th km. The last to resist, Kenyan Lucas Rotich, could only limit the damage. At the finish line, Ghebreslassie, in a nice fair play gesture, came back at a slow trot after crossing the finish line in 2:07:51 to hit the hand of Rotich, happy 2nd in 2:08:51. American veteran Abdi Abdirahman, 39, took 3rd place.
Keitany 30 years with Grete Waitz
Mary Keitany took off shortly before halfway to win in 2h24’26, without threatening the course record (2h22’31). From the start, the Kenyan chip had stepped on the accelerator to quickly exhaust its rivals. On arrival, she widens an abysmal gap of more than 4’30 against her runner-up, her compatriot Sally Kipyego (2h28’01). The American Molly Huddle, neophyte over the distance, took 3rd place (2h28’13).
Keitany becomes the first woman, since the late Norwegian Grete Waitz thirty years ago, to win this prestigious event three times in a row. Waitz had even won five consecutive times.
Keitany, second fastest woman in history (record at 2:18:37), has lost nothing of her class despite her two maternities, in 2008 and 2009. The Kenyan was all the more “hungry” this week- end that she had missed the Rio Games, deprived of her chances of participation after her fall in the London Marathon in April. In the ruthless world of the highlands of East Africa, there is no catch-up session.
Marcel Hug wins in a wheelchair
The Swiss shone in a wheelchair. The Thurgovian Marcel Hug won at the finish (1h35’49) ahead of the Australian Kurt Fearnley (same time) and pocketed the winner’s 15,000 dollars. This victory follows his four medals won this summer at the Paralympics in Rio. Her compatriot Manuela Schär took 2nd place in the women’s category (1’49”28).
Some 900 Swiss took part in this marathon, which brings together 50,000 runners each year (limited number of bibs) and whose average final time of participants is around 4h30 ‘.
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