USA: ATHLETICS - Winners praise Haile Gebrselassie after world record holder announces retirement

Record ID: 1534841

  • Title: USA: ATHLETICS - Winners praise Haile Gebrselassie after world record holder announces retirement
  • Date: 8th November 2010
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 7, 2010) (REUTERS) NY MARATHON WINNER GEBRE GEBREMARIAM JOINS EMMANUEL MUTAI AND MOSES KIGEN KIPKOSGEI ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GEBRE GEBREMARIAM, WINNER OF NY MARATHON, SAYING: "Thank you. Just I'm so happy here for my first time. And I'm so happy to win too. It's my first marathon, and I'm number one here. When I get to Central Park, I'm so happy, so I can't wait too. So that's it, thank you." WIDE OF STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) EMMANUEL MUTAI, SECOND PLACE AT MARATHON, SAYING: "So when I entered the park when we climbed the hill, I tried to push, but I got a muscle cramp. So it was my -- so I feel it is more tense to move at faster speeds, so I had to reduce to finish the hill. At that time Gebre moved, so I was trying to close the gap but I was not able." WIDE OF STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GEBRE GEBREMARIAM, NY MARATHON WINNER, SAYING: "You know, Haile is special. Haile is very king. So even Haile's retiring, we have to learn so many things from Haile. Haile's a good guy. Even in business and in athletics. So I think we have to push to run more. I'm so disappointed when I hear this one. Maybe in my country just I have to do something about this." GEBREMARIAM, MUTAI AND KIPKOSGEI SHOW THEIR MEDALS 2009 NY MARATHON WINNER MEB KEFLEZIGHI (SOUNDBITE) (English) 2009 NY MARATHON WINNER MEB KEFLEZIGHI SAYING: "The make-or-break decision was on First Avenue. They were really sprinting full out, and I tried to be patient, but the gap was so big that was it for me to be able to. I ran down a lot of guys at the end, but they were -- when seven guys go, three will survive and they did." KEFLEZIGHI ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) 2009 NY MARATHON WINNER MEB KEFLEZIGHI "I mean Haile, for me, has been a role model on the course and off the course just what he has done. He's a great ambassador for the sport. Anywhere from the 5K to the marathon, he has nothing to prove. 2:03:59 says it all. He's won back-to-back Olympic Gold Medals and many, many other world records. I'm honored to be in the same race, even though due to the injury he didn't finish, but to be the greatest probably distance runner ever, to be on the same sideline with him and compete against him for a little bit, it's an honor to be in the same event with him in his last race. He's an amazing individual." KEFLEZIGHI ON STAGE NY MARATHON WINNER EDNA KIPLAGAT AND 2ND PLACE RUNNER MARY KEITANY OF KENYA WALKING ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NY MARATHON WINNER EDNA KIPLAGAT SAYING "When we were in the 24th mile, I tried to put more effort. I found myself pulling away from the field, so I was excited when I reached 25 miles because that's when I found I was ahead of the other ladies, Mary and Shalane. When I crossed the finish line, I was so happy." KIPLAGAT AND KEITANY LEAVING STAGE
  • Embargoed: 23rd November 2010 02:18
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVACXHDBOMXOKT1V0N8DGJDTLVYF
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Debutantes stole the show at the New York City marathon Sunday (November 7) as Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam won the men's race on his marathon debut and Kenya's Edna Kiplagat took the women's title in her first New York race.
    Gebremariam, the 2009 world cross country champion, ran with easy grace through the last hilly stretch in Central Park to pull away from Emmanuel Mutai for a comfortable win in two hours eight minutes 14 seconds.
    "When I entered the park when we climbed the hill, I tried to push, but I got a muscle cramp. So it was my -- so I feel it is more tense to move at faster speeds, so I had to reduce to finish the hill. At that time Gebre moved, so I was trying to close the gap but I was not able," described Mutai of the critical point.
    Kiplagat, winner of this year's Los Angeles Marathon, also waited until the latter stages in Central Park to use her strong strides to claim victory in 2:28:20.
    American Shalane Flanagan and Mary Keitany of Kenya, both running their maiden marathons, followed Kiplagat over the finish line.
    Flanagan, the Olympic 10,000 meters bronze medalist, clocked 2:28:40 with world half-marathon champion Keitany a further 21 seconds adrift.
    On the men's side, Mutai finished more than a minute behind Gebremariam in 2:09:18, with Moses Kigen Kipkosgei of Kenya taking third place in 2:10:39.
    Ethiopian world record holder Haile Gebrselassie, 37, pulled out of the race after the halfway stage because of problems with his right knee.
    He later announced he was retiring after an illustrious career which included two Olympic 10,000 meters gold medals and 27 world records. Other runners had only praise for the record holder.
    "I mean Haile, for me, has been a role model on the course and off the course just what he has done. He's a great ambassador for the sport. Anywhere from the 5K to the marathon, he has nothing to prove. 2:03:59 says it all," said 2009 NY Marathon winner, Meb Keflezghi.
    Gebremariam, 26, became the first marathon debutante to win the New York race since New Zealander Rod Dixon in 1983.
    "Just I'm so happy here for my first time. And I'm so happy to win too. It's my first marathon, and I'm number one here," a smiling Gebremariam said afterwards.
    "When I get to Central Park, I'm so happy, so I can't wait too."
    Both the men's and women's races followed similar patterns with the lead packs thick with runners for most of the first half of the 42.195 kms test.
    The races boiled down to three runners in each field, with the winners decided during the last Central Park stages.
    "When we were in the 24th mile, I tried to put more effort. I found myself pulling away from the field, so I was excited when I reached 25 miles because that's when I found I was ahead of the other ladies, Mary and Shalane," Kiplagat said.
    "When I crossed the finish line, I was so happy," she said.
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