Sheila Chepkirui was in imperious form on Sunday evening, reclaiming her New York Marathon women’s title after edging a fiercely contested race to return to the top of the podium.
Chepkirui broke the tape in 2:24:36, narrowly holding off American Jessica McClain, who clocked 2:24:42, while defending champion Hellen Obiri settled for third in 2:24:43.
Kenyan marathon veteran Edna Kiplagat narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in 2:25:42, with compatriot Mercy Chelangat rounding off the top five in 2:25:46.
The victory marked Chepkirui’s second New York Marathon title in three years, having first conquered the streets of the Big Apple in 2024 with a time of 2:24:35.
On that occasion, she spearheaded an all-Kenyan podium sweep, holding off Obiri, who finished second in 2:24:49, while Vivian Cheruiyot completed the podium in 2:25:21.
Chepkirui’s bid for back-to-back titles in 2025, however, was thwarted by Obiri, who stormed to victory in 2:19:51 to lead another Kenyan podium sweep.
Sharon Lokedi finished second in 2:20:07, while Chepkirui had to settle for third in 2:20:24.
The 35-year-old has enjoyed a busy 2026 campaign, beginning with victory at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon in Japan on March 8.
She clocked 2:21:54 to narrowly beat Japan’s Sayaka Sato, who finished in 2:21:56, with Ethiopian Aynalem Desta taking third in 2:22:37.
Chepkirui subsequently switched her focus to the track, competing at the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Track and Field Championships in June, where she doubled in the 5,000m and 10,000m.
She finished seventh in the 5,000m in 16:08.32 before claiming second place in the 10,000m in 33:01.56.
Ahead of her New York assignment, Chepkirui also competed at the AJ Bell Great North Run on September 13, finishing second in 1:08:19 behind compatriot and former marathon world-record holder Brigid Kosgei, who clocked 1:06:15.
Meanwhile, in the men’s race, defending champion Benson Kipruto failed to retain his title after finishing fourth in 2:06:27.
Sweden’s Andreas Almgren won in 2:06:01, ahead of Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa (2:06:14) and Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo (2:06:26).
Former champion Geoffrey Kamworor finished ninth in 2:07:09, while Cybrian Kotut placed 12th in 2:07:42.