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Two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat and defending
champion Albert Korir are expected to light up the 51st New York City Marathon
on Sunday.
Kiplagat, who has competed in all the six World
Marathon Majors series races, must be at her best to counter Ethiopia’s Gotytom
Gebreslase, who has enjoyed an excellent past two years including winning the
2021 Berlin Marathon and gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in
Eugene.
New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London and Tokyo as
well as Olympic Games and World Championships form the WMM series.
So far, Edna has competed in all the six WMM races,
twice at the World Championships and the Olympic Games –a feat no athlete on
the planet has achieved save for America’s Shalane Flanagan, who did it for fun
last year.
Gebreslase also finished third in the 2021 Tokyo
Marathon and will once again be one of the favourites in the Big Apple.
The men’s field sees reigning champion Albert Korir
return to the scene of his greatest triumph as he aims to retain his title on
Sunday.
Having come second in the 2019 edition of the race,
the Kenyan ran home first in 2:08:22 to become the 2021 champion and win his
third marathon in North America following the 2019 Houston Marathon and 2019
Ottawa Race Weekend.
He will face stiff competition from Kenya’s 2022
Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet who will be hoping for a second Marathon
Major of the year. The 33-year-old holds the fastest personal best in the field
having set a time of 2:03:00 in Valencia in 2020.