Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui outkicks defending champion Hellen Obiri in the final kilometre of the NYC Marathon to take home the victory.

Kenyan athletes bagged the three top positions at the NYC Marathon, with Hellen Obiri finishing second and Vivian Cheruiyot third.

It  was a close race decided in the final kilometre. Sheila took off at the final 600 metres of the race, and when Hellen Obiri couldn’t keep up, the 33 year old secured the victory.

“Let me push the last mile; let me give it my best,” the Kenyan said. “When we were around 600 meters to go, I said to myself, I have to push harder. When I saw Hellen wasn’t coming, I knew I was going to win and was so happy,” said Sheila.

She speeds to a stunning finish in 2:24:35—and a first ever world marathon major title. Hellen Obiri finished in 2:24:49, 14 seconds short, while Vivian Cheruiyot finished third with a time of 2:25:21.

Hellen, who won the Boston Marathon in April and won bronze at the Olympics earlier this year, was expected to perform well.

The 34-year-old wanted to win two major championships in one year and defend her New York crown, making her the first woman to do so in 34 years.

“There’s no place like New York, and I am so ready to defend my title I have been racing very well on the roads in the US, and I hope I can have another good day that sees me in contention once we enter the final stages in Central Park,” said Obiri.

Chepkirui was running in New York for the first time and takes home $100,000 in prize money. 2nd place Obiri bags $60,000 and Cheruiyot $40,000

In the men’s professional marathon, Netherlands Abdi Nageeye put up a spectacular performance and was also a first time winner of the New York City Marathon.

Nageeye produced a powerful sprint finish to edge ahead of 2022 winner Evans Chebet in the race’s closing stages and crossed the line in a time of 2:07.39, six seconds faster than Chebet.

Kenya’s Albert Korir finished third in the men category of the New York marathon.