Jepchirchir, Kandie to race at New York Marathon

Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya is set to make her New York City Marathon debut in November after she was added to a star-studded lineup for the event.

She is among the latest additions that includes Olympic silver medalist Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and four-time Olympic medalist Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia.

Also in the line-up is Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie who will be running his first ever full marathon race. He is the half marathon world-record holder and a 2020 World Half Marathon Championships silver medalist.

The 2019 TCS New York City Marathon second and third-place finishers, Kenya’s Albert Korir and Ethiopia’s Girma Bekele Gebre will return in attempt to repeat their podium performances, in addition to 2016 race winner Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea.

Jepchirchir won gold at the Tokyo Olympic Marathon this month in 2:27:20 and is a two-time world champion in the half marathon, having won gold at the 2020 and 2016 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships.

Last year, she joined the legendary trio of Tegla Loroupe, Paula Radcliffe and Lornah Kiplagat as the only women to win more than one half marathon world title.

Her personal-best marathon time of 2:17:16 is the fastest of any woman in the New York City Marathon open division.

“2021 has already been a magical year, and I am excited that it is not yet over,” Jepchirchir said. “I am happy about competing in the TCS New York City Marathon.

The excitement in Kenya around my performance in the Olympic Games has been very high, and I know that a victory in New York will mean so much to the people of Kenya.

The 50th year of something is often called its ‘golden anniversary,’ so how fitting it will be that for New York City’s 50th running I will run as the Olympic gold medalist.”

Challenging Jepchirchir on the international front will be Namibia’s four-time Olympian and 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Helalia Johannes, who was 11th in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon, and Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga, who won the Tokyo Marathon and finished third at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2019.

Ethiopia’s mixed-gender world-record holder and the 2019 Chicago Marathon runner-up Ababel Yeshaneh and Kenya’s Nancy Kiprop, the fourth place-finisher at the event in 2019, will also toe the line.

Greece’s 10,000-meter record-holder Alexi Pappas and Kenya’s Viola Cheptoo, the sister of five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat, will make their New York debuts.

They will join the previously announced group of American women that includes Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel, 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego, 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meters champion Emily Sisson, and 2018 Boston Marathon winner and two-time Olympian Des Linden.