The women's race at the New York City Marathon will promise to be a thriller since it has assembled one of the strongest fields in history.
A battle of titans is expected at Sunday’s New York City Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label Road Race, having attracted one of the strongest fields in history.
Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir, former world record holder Brigid Kosgei, defending champion Sharon Lokedi, and reigning Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri will be looking to star in the stacked women’s field.
Lokedi won when making her marathon debut in New York last year, pulling away in the final two miles to triumph in 2:23:23. She returns to defend her title but given the strength of her opposition, it will be far from a walk in the park.
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“Last year, I came into the TCS New York City Marathon with the goal of being in the thick of the race, and the result was better than I could have ever hoped for.
"This year, I’m returning with a different mindset, hungry to defend my title and race against the fastest women in the world,” Lokedi said.
Kosgei, Jepchirchir, Obiri, and 10,000m world record holder Gidey, will be looking to challenge Lokedi’s charge. Gidey made her debut at last year’s Valencia marathon, clocking 2:16:49 to finish second in the race.
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After marathon wins in Chicago, London, and Tokyo, Kenya’s Kosgei makes her debut in New York. She was the world record holder since 2019, after clocking 2:14:04 to win in Chicago until Tigist Assefa clocked 2:11:53 in Berlin in September.
Kosgei sits third on the world all-time list after Sifan Hassan improved to 2:13:44 in Chicago last month.
Ready to embrace the hills of New York, Kosgei returns to marathon action for the first time since April, when she dropped out of London. Prior to that, she won the Tokyo title in a course record of 2:16:02 in March 2022.
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Meanwhile, Jepchirchir finished third in London this year and most recently retained her world half marathon title in Riga.
However, she is uncertain about making it to the start line of this year’s edition of the event since suffering a calf issue during training last weekend.
On her part, Obiri finished sixth when making her marathon debut last year in New York but the two-time world 5000m champion went on to win in Boston and will be hoping to use that experience to her benefit.
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“I’m coming to New York this year with more confidence and in search of a title,” she said.
Gidey’s 2:16:49 in Valencia in December was the fastest women’s marathon debut in history and she was second on that occasion.
Gidey’s first race after that marathon debut was at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia in February but a fall in the closing stages, while she was leading, dashed her gold medal dreams. She returned to the podium at the World Championships in Budapest, finishing second in the 10,000m.
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It is not only that quintet who will hope to make an impact in New York. The field also features two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat, who finished fourth in Boston and New York last year.
The 2021 Boston runner-up Mary Ngugi-Cooper and 2021 New York runner-up Viola Cheptoo, as well as USA’s Molly Huddle and Kellyn Taylor, who finished in the top eight in New York in 2017, 2019 and 2021 will also be starting.
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