Chebet unmoved by Olympic stars in quest for New York title
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 12.10.24. | 08:45
He remains optimistic the selector
The die is cast as Evans Chebet heads to the New York City Marathon set for Sunday 3 November where he is up against a star-studded field led by Olympic champion Tamirat Tola.
Tola proved to be a tough runner on hilly courses with his victory at the Olympics, a course that claimed many including two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge who posted his first ever DNF (did not finish).
Chebet, meanwhile, has made both Boston and New York marathons, two of the most difficult World Marathon Majors courses, a fortress, setting the stage for scintillating action on the streets of New York City.
"It is a deep course but I am not bothered by that. I am focusing on my preparations and with about two weeks before heading out, I am working on speed with long runs as I believe I have everything else covered. I know what the course requires and that gives me confidence even as I go up against runners like Tola who impressed at the Olympics," Chebet told Mozzart Sport.
Now fully fit, Chebet is looking to win his second title after winning on his debut in i. He pulled away from the pack heading into Manhattan to win the men’s race in 2:08:41 seven months after winning in Boston to become the eighth man in history to win both races in the same year and the first since 2011.
"I raced in Boston, earlier in the year, while not fully recovered from a nagging injury and made third place but now I am fit. I am used to hilly courses with no pacers, my last flat course being London in 2019. If conditions are good, I am going for the title," he added.
Chebet has won back-to-back Boston titles in 2022 and 2023, finishing ahead of heavy favorite Kipchoge the second time around. That top finish marked his third consecutive victory at an Abbott World Marathon Majors race.
He has finished first or second in 13 marathons, with his first victory coming at the Buenos Aires Marathon in 2019. The following year, he won the Lake Biwa Marathon and then set a world-leading time that year of 2:03:00 in winning the Valencia Marathon. He has also finished in the top five in Berlin, Tokyo, and London.
Asked who his toughest challengers will be, he singled out Tola, former Olympic medalist Abdi Bashir and compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor, and Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay.
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