Flanagan snaps U.S. NYC Marathon drought
Shalane Flanagan on Sunday dethroned Mary Keitany and became the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977, potentially ending her decorated career with her first major marathon victory.
Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya won the men’s race, holding off countryman Wilson Kipsang by 3 seconds for his first major victory.
Keitany had won three straight New York marathons, but Flanagan pulled away from the Kenyan great with about three miles to go. Flanagan finished in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 53 seconds, about a minute faster than Keitany. The American cried and yelled as she approached the finish line all alone.
“It’s indescribable,” the 36-year-old said. “It’s a moment I’m trying to soak up and savor.”
The last American woman to win New York was Miki Gorman, who won consecutive titles in 1976-77.
Flanagan finished second in New York for her first marathon in 2010 but hadn’t run this race since.
Her win came five days after the bike-path terror attack in lower Manhattan killed eight and raised questions about security for Sunday. That hit home for Flanagan, a Massachusetts native who completed the 2013 Boston Marathon shortly before a bomb went off at the finish line, killing three and wounding more than 260 others.
“It’s been a tough week for New Yorkers, and a tough week for our nation,” Flanagan said. “I thought of, ‘What a better gift than to make Americans smile today?’ ’’
Kamworor ran the race in 2:10:53. He and Kipsang embraced just past the finish line to huge cheers.
American running great and 2009 New York winner Meb Keflezighi, 42, completed his 26th and final marathon, collapsing as he crossed the finish.
This may have been Flanagan’s final race, too, although the four-time Olympian wasn’t ready to commit. But she likes the idea of her and Keflezighi going out together.
“I was thinking of Meb, and I was thinking of how I wanted to make him proud,” Flanagan said.
Golf
CANTLAY PREVAILS IN VEGAS >> Patrick Cantlay won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas in a playoff for the first victory in a PGA Tour career mostly derailed by a severe back injury.
The 25-year-old former UCLA star hit from behind a tree and got up-and-down for par from off the back of the 18th green to beat Alex Cejka and Whee Kim on the second extra hole.
Cantlay bogeyed the final two holes of regulation for a 5-under 67 to get in at 9-under 275 at TPC Summerlin.
The three played the 456yard, par-4 closing hole twice in the playoff, matching bogeys the first time. ROSE TOPS IN TURKEY >> Justin Rose made a 10foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya, Turkey by one shot for his second straight title on the European Tour.
Rose shot a 6-under-par 65 in the final round to finish at 18-under 266 overall. FENG DEFENDS TITLE >> Defending champion Shanshan Feng of China fired a 4-under 68 to win the LPGA Tour’s Japan Classic in Ibaraki by two strokes.
Feng finished at 19-under 197, two shots ahead of Japan’s Ai Suzuki.
Tennis
SOCK ROCKS IN PARIS >> Jack Sock beat Filip Krajinovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to win the Paris Masters and qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals.
The win sends Sock through to the finals in London for the first time.
He will break into the top 10, climbing to ninth.
He is the first American winner at the Paris Masters since Andre Agassi in 1999, and first American winner of a Masters tournament since Andy Roddick at Miami in 2010. GOERGES TAKES ‘ELITE’ >> Julia Goerges defeated CoCo Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-1 in the WTA Elite Trophy final in Zhuhai, China.
Goerges will move up to a career-high 14th in the year-end WTA rankings.
MLS
DYNAMO IN WEST FINAL >> Dylan Remick and Mauro Manotas scored to send the Houston Dynamo to the MLS Western Conference final with a 2-1 victory over the host Portland Timbers in the second leg of their semifinal.
The teams had played to a scoreless draw in the first leg in Houston. The goals gave the Dynamo a 2-1 advantage on aggregate, setting up the conference final against the defending champion Seattle Sounders. TORONTO ADVANCES ON TIE-BREAKER >> Host Toronto FC lost 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls in an abrasive game, but still advanced to the MLS Eastern Conference final on away goals after the two-leg series ended tied 2-2 on goals aggregate.
It was a feisty affair that saw Toronto striker Jozy Altidore and Red Bulls captain Sacha Kljestan sent off after a tunnel melee at halftime.
In addition to Altidore, league-leading Toronto will be without star striker Sebastian Giovinco for the next game after his second yellow in two games. TFC will play Columbus, which also advanced Sunday. CREW MOVE ON >> The Columbus Crew advanced to the Eastern finals, winning the two-leg series 4-3 on aggregate after falling 2-0 in the second game Sunday. The Crew will host Toronto FC in Game 1 of the conference finals Nov. 21.