Andreas Almgren wins New York Marathon on debut as Chepkirui takes women’s title

Andreas Almgren won the men’s New York Marathon on his first attempt at the distance, completing the race in two hours, six minutes and one second. According to BBC Sport, the 31-year-old Swede finished 13 seconds ahead of Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa, while Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui claimed the women’s title for the second time.

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Crippa took second place in the men’s race, with Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo finishing third, another 12 seconds behind the Italian. The result gave Almgren victory over 26.2 miles at the first time of asking and made him the first European-born man to win in New York in 30 years. Italy’s Giacomo Leone was the previous such winner, in 1996.

The marathon success followed two other major achievements for Almgren this year. He won the 10,000m title at the European Athletics Championships in August, then broke the European half-marathon record in September. His New York victory added a win at the full marathon distance to a season that had already brought a continental title on the track and a record on the road.

Speaking after the race, Almgren described believing he had the strength to win on the day. He also expressed how emotional the result had left him, saying the experience exceeded anything he had imagined. The victory fulfilled the anticipation around his move to the marathon after those earlier performances, BBC Sport reported.

Chepkirui, 35, completed the women’s race in 2:24:36. American Jessica McClain finished six seconds behind her in second place, with Kenya’s Hellen Obiri another second back in third. Just seven seconds therefore separated the first three women, with Chepkirui securing another New York success ahead of two closely matched podium rivals.

Chepkirui said the final mile had required patience because she knew how strong Obiri was. She described having to keep pushing all the way to the finish to secure the victory. Both races took place on the New York route linking Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.