Brazil’s Marilson Gomes dos Santos won his New York Marathon debut on Sunday, becoming the first South American to take the race, while Latvia’s Jelena Prokopcuka captured her second consecutive women’s crown. South Africa’s Hendrick Ramaala finished ninth.
Dos Santos held off a late challenge to finish 26,2 miles (41,9km) in two hours, nine minutes and 58 seconds, edging Kenyan Stephen Kiogora by eight seconds with another Kenyan, 2005 New York winner Paul Tergat, third in 2:10:10.
”I kept pushing and they kept staying behind,” Dos Santos said. ”I’m satisfied to win such a great event because New York is the best of the best.”
Prokopcuka, this year’s Boston Marathon runner-up, defended her New York title in 2:25:05 to become the sixth woman to achieve the repeat feat, the first since Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe in 1995.
”I wanted to do it,” Prokopcuka said, adding ”I don’t know yet,” when asked what the victory would mean.
Ukraine’s Tatiana Hladyr, the Rome Marathon winner, was second, falling back in the last four miles to finish one minute behind Prokopcuka. Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba took third in 2:26:58 to edge compatriot Rita Jeptoo.
Dos Santos pulled ahead with four miles remaining but could not shake a chase pack led by Paul Tergat as the runners entered the final push through Manhattan’s Central Park.
But Dos Santos (29) had enough to hold off his rivals at the line to take a race that saw few breakaways until the end.
Dos Santos set a personal best of 2:08:48 in a sixth-place finish at the 2004 Chicago Marathon. He also took sixth in 2004 at Paris.
A pack of 28 men reached the halfway mark at 1:05:33, with Kenyan Julius Kibet in front and American Meb Keflezighi, Ramaala and Morocco’s Youssef Galmin with him.
Ramaala and Tergat were content in the pack even as Rodgers Rop, the 2002 New York and Boston winner who set a personal best in London this year, moved to the front.
Galmin then surged into the lead before being pulled in by the pack with Ramaala, Rop and Kiogora leading the effort.
Prokopcuka’s winning time, the ninth-best run in race history by a champion, was 24 seconds off her triumphant 2005 run and the slowest winning time here since Joyce Chepchumba’s 2002 victory.
At the midpoint Prokopcuka and Hladyr opened a gap on their rivals to lead in 1:13:50, but the defending champion was turning to keep a watchful eye on eight rivals in pursuit.
Hladyr and Prokopcuka reached 30km at 1:44:20 with Ndereba, a four-time Boston Marathon winner and two-time Chicago champion, leading the chase group.
That pursuit pack also included Jeptoo, the reigning Boston Marathon champion, plus 2006 London Marathon winner Deena Kastor and Russia’s Lidya Grigoryeva, who would finish fifth.
Kastor, who settled for sixth, was trying to become the first United States woman to win the New York title since Miki Gorman in 1977.
Prokopcuka kept ahead of Hladyr with Ndereba, Jeptoo and Grigoryeva chasing as the final miles arrived. The Latvian pulled ahead to lead at 22 miles in 2:02:42 as Hladyr struggled to stay within reach to the finish.
Australian Kurt Fearnley won the men’s wheelchair title in a course record of 1:29:23. American Amanda McCrory won the women’s wheelchair event. — Sapa-AFP