NAIROBI — Newly-crowned New York Marathon champion Benson Kipruto joked that he deserves a special award for clinching his third major race on American soil.
The 34-year-old noted that he has developed a unique connection with the United States and therefore should be rewarded with a three-star medals for his huge success in the country.
"I'm so happy to have my fourth win in the World Marathon Majors. This is my third win in America and I'm so happy. I think I need now a three-star from the American major marathon," the Olympics bronze medalist said.
Kipruto's previous victories in America include the Boston Marathon (2:09:51) in 2021 and the Chicago Marathon in 2022 (2:04:24).
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
On Sunday, he led a podium sweep for Kenya in the Big Apple, clocking 2:08:09 to cut the tape ahead of Alexander Mutiso, who also ran 2:08:09 in what was a photo finish.
The 2021 New York champion Albert Korir came third in 2:08:57.
It was a sprint finish for which Kipruto could not sit easy, with Mutiso charging furiously behind him in the last 800m in a mad dash to the finish line.
Both runners raised their hands in victory as they crossed their finish line but it was Kipruto who had done just enough to take the top podium place on the race.
The 2024 Tokyo Marathon champion paid homage to his fellow Kenyan as a difficult opponent to shrug off.
"Yes, I was aware that he was behind and so close. I know Mutiso is a strong guy and I've been running with him also in Paris (Olympics). So I knew it was going to be a tight race. But I never lost hope up to the last stages of the race," Kipruto said.
Sunday's win was a perfect way for Kipruto to bounce back from a disappointing year thus far, in which he has fallen short of victory in his two competitions.
His first race was at the Tokyo Marathon in March where he clocked 2:05:46 to finish seventh before coming third at the Bogota Half Marathon in Colombia - timing 1:03:41.
