You don’t have to be a veteran marathon runner to earn victory, and 20-year-old Ghirmay Ghebreslassie proved that Sunday with a first-place finish in the 2016 New York City Marathon.
NYC Marathon results 2016: Ghirmay Ghebreslassie wins as youngest-ever champion
Ghirmay Ghebreslassie is just 20 years old and had a dominant performance.
Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Ghebreslassie, who hails from Eritrea, ran 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 51 seconds to earn the win, over a minute faster than his nearest competitor. He is the youngest runner to ever win the New York City Marathon, but that’s nothing new to him. Last year he became the youngest-ever world marathon winner at the age of 19 when he won a gold medal at the IAAF World Championships.
He is the first runner from Eritrea to win the marathon.
Prior to Ghebreslassie’s run — which is the fifth-fastest time ever in the race — the youngest victor distinction was shared by Tom Flemming (1975 winner) and Alberto Salazar (1980), who were both 22 years old when they earned their wins.
Finishing second in the race was Kenya’s Lucas Rotich, finishing a time of 2:08.53. America’s top finisher was 39-year-old Abdi Abdirahman, who finished third with a time of 2:11:23.
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