NEW YORK, Sept 26 (Askume) – Kenyan Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon easily won the women’s Athlos NYC race on Thursday, while Brittany Brown beat Paris 200m gold medallist Gabby Thomas.
Athlos was founded by entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian to capitalize on the star power of women’s track and field, with fans flocking to Icahn Stadium in New York to enjoy a party atmosphere at the end of the busy track and field season.
The winner of each event will receive a prize of $60,000, double the Diamond League final prize, and each first-place finisher will receive a custom Tiffany crown.
World record holder Kipyegun won her third consecutive Olympic title in Paris and crossed the finish line in New York in 4 minutes, 4.79 seconds, underlining her status as queen of the metric mile.
Ethiopia’s Dribe Welteji (4:05.58) could not counter the might of Kenya, while Kenya’s Susan Ezor-Saunders Sanders (4:06.25) finished third.
Thomas of the United States lost momentum in the final 50 meters of the race and finished three hundredths of a second behind Paris bronze medalist Brown (22.18 seconds).
“I think the sport is really changing and growing – and I’m excited to be a part of that,” Brown said. “It’s a brand new event, we’re trying something new and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Marie-Josee Ta-Lo-Smith of Côte d’Ivoire won the 100 metres in 10.98 seconds, while Brown finished second (11.05 seconds).
Olympic 400-meter champion Maryledy Paulino maintained her unbeaten record in the event by finishing first in 49.59 seconds, while Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the 100 hurdles in 12.36 seconds, falling just short of winning the Diamond League final.
Camacho Quinn told the crowd after the game, “Only women can perform.”
Paris 800m silver medallist Zig Duguma of Ethiopia beat Mary Moraa of Kenya on the final turn to take first place in 1:57.43.
