Hellen Obiri wins New York mini 10k
Kenya’s Hellen Obiri returned to winning ways on Saturday, edging out a strong field to claim victory at the Mastercard New York Mini 10-K. The double Olympic silver medallist clocked 30:44, narrowly holding off American Weini Kelati, who set a new US road 10K record in a thrilling finish.
Boston and New York City Marathon champion Hellen Obiri was back in the spotlight on Saturday, taking a hard-fought win at the Mastercard New York Mini 10-K.
Obiri, 35, clinched victory with a time of 30:44, narrowly beating USA half-marathon record holder Weini Kelati, who set a new American road 10K record with her 30:49 finish.
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Throughout the race, Obiri remained in the leading pack of eight athletes, which broke away from the rest of the field at the 2-mile (3.2 kilometers) marker. America's Amanda Vetstri, who finished fourth in last year's race, set the pace.
Kenyans Sharon Lokedi and Grace Loibach, Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia, Taylor Roe, and Emma Grace Hurley were also in the group.
At the fourth mile marker (around 6.4 Km), Kelati's 4:55 split was fast enough to drop Vestri and Loibach, who finished sixth and seventh with times of 31:20 and 31:34, respectively. This left Obiri, Kelati, Gebreslase, Roe, and Lokedi to battle for the win.
Shortly after, Obiri made her decisive move, with Roe, the American 10K record holder, and Kelati responding immediately. Roe struggled to keep pace and was eventually passed by Gebreslase, who finished third. Up front, Kelati and Obiri battled for the lead.
"At first, the race was kind of slow. The race kind of got stronger and stronger, and at some point, Hellen came up next to me. She's a strong runner," said Kelati.
"She (Obiri) is a tough runner. I was like, no matter what, I have to follow her. I know she has a great finish. I just had to push myself today."
Obiri subsequently dominated the challenging back half of the race in a scorching 15:09, ultimately securing victory and taking home Sh1.2 million ($10,000) in prize money.
"First of all, I am so happy to win this race because the elite field was strong. Also, coming after the Boston Marathon and Manchester 10K, I felt like, let me try to give my best. For the last two weeks, I have been working on my speed," she said after the race.
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