Marathon rookie defeats fourtime NYC winner
Joyciline Jepkosgei arrived in New York with a modest goal for her first marathon ever.
“My focus was to finish the race,” she said, a gold medal hanging around her neck. Not bad for a novice. Jepkosgei upset fourtime champion Mary Keitany to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday with a historic debut seven seconds off the course record.
After pulling away from her Kenyan countrymate, Keitany, with about 3 miles left, Jepkosgei crossed the finish in Central Park in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 38 seconds, the secondbest run in course history.
“I didn’t actually know that I can win,” she said, “but I was trying my best to do it and to make it and to finish strong.”
Jepkosgei, 25, holds the world record in the halfmarathon but had not run this distance. She looked pained climbing the final hill but strode confidently over the final line.
It was too much for Keitany, a 37yearold who collapsed after finishing 53 seconds later. She had won four of the past five NYC Marathons.
“Sometimes a race is a race,” Keitany said. “Anything can happen.”
Jepkosgei is the youngest New York winner since 25yearold Margaret Okayo in 2001.
American Desiree Linden set the pace early and was the top U.S. finisher at sixth. The 2018 Boston Marathon winner hasn’t decided whether she will go to the Olympic team trials in Atlanta on Feb. 29.
Linden, 36, wants to gauge her recovery before deciding whether to pursue a third Olympics.
“Right now’s not the time, just based on how my calves and my feet feel,” Linden said.
Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya won the men’s event for the second time in three years with a time of 2:08:13.
Barty captures WTA Finals
Ashleigh Barty added to a career year by winning her first WTA Finals title in her first appearance at the seasonending event in Shenzhen, China, with a 64, 63 victory over defending champion Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
The title adds to the 23yearold Australian’s lengthy list of achievements in 2019 including her first Grand Slam title at the French Open. She also rose to the No. 1 ranking in the game and is enjoying her 15th week in the top spot, becoming the first Australian to hold the yearend top spot.
“It feels like it’s been a year that just hasn’t stopped,” Barty said. “It’s been a year of incredible ups and downs, I think more ups than downs.”
Barty takes home a record $4.42 million paycheck for the WTA Finals title, the richest winner’s prize ever in the sport.
Novak Djokovic looked imperious in beating an overawed Denis Shapovalov 63, 64 to win his fifth Paris Masters final, clinching a 34th overall Masters title in fine style to move one behind record holder Rafael Nadal.
Boxing: Canelo Alvarez landed a leftright late in the 11th round Saturday night, dropping Sergey Kovalev and ending their lightheavyweight title fight in Las Vegas. Kovalev was left on his knees, his arms draped over the middle ring rope as the fight was stopped at 2:15 of the round. The Mexican fighter, a 1to4 favorite despite moving up two weight classes, won his fourth title in four weights.