Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir won the 50th running of the New York City Marathon on Sunday, surviving a thrilling three-way battle before sprinting for the finish line, while fellow Kenyan Albert Korir won the men's race.
Jepchirchir is the first athlete to pick up Olympic gold and win the famed five-borough race in the same year. She crossed the finish line in two hours, 22 minutes, 39 seconds, with compatriot Viola Cheptoo and Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh finishing second and third, respectively.
"After I won the Olympic marathon I was not expecting to win," said Jepchirchir, who had just 13 weeks between the Tokyo Games and the marathon in New York. "I tried my best to make sure I complete my workouts, my preparations ... I'm so happy today."