News

HASSAN, KIPTUM, HUG AND DEBRUNNER WIN ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS SERIES XV TITLES

Sifan Hassan, Kelvin Kiptum, Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug have been crowned Abbott World Marathon Majors Series XV champions.

The series concluded at the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon.

Kiptum and Hug already had their victories assured, with Kiptum winning the TCS London Marathon and then the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a world record 2:00:35 to seal the men’s open division title.

Wheelchair racer Hug had swept all five Majors before New York and promptly made it six from six with a dominant display in the final event. Hug was presented with a special gold Six Star medal to mark the accomplishment.

Hassan, with wins in London and Chicago, could only be caught by Kenyan Hellen Obiri, who needed to win in New York to add to her Boston victory and tie Hassan at the top of the leaderboard.

Obiri duly obliged, out-kicking Letesenbet Gidey in Central Park to claim the race victory.

That meant the six race directors of the Abbott World Marathon Majors had to each vote for their choice to be the 2023 women’s series champion. The vote went the way of Hassan, who set the second fastest time in history of 2:13:44 when she won in Chicago.

(L-R) Marcel Hug, Sifan Hassan and Catherine Debrunner were in New York to receive their series awards.

For Debrunner, it was all in her own hands. She went into the final race three points behind her Swiss compatriot Manuela Schär, with defending series champion, the USA’s Susannah Scaroni, two points further back and Madison de Rozario of Australia also within striking distance of the title if she could win in New York.

Debrunner left all her rivals behind from the gun, descending the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge with a commanding lead that she never relinquished.

She went on to break Scaroni’s course record, finishing in 1:39:32 to take the win, the record bonus and the series.

It caps a stunning fall season for Debrunner, who shot into contention by winning the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in a world record time before adding the Bank of America Chicago Marathon to her list of successes two weeks later.

Kelvin Kiptum claimed the Series XV title, running a world record 2:00:35 in Chicago

Abbott World Marathon Majors CEO Dawna Stone said: “We are thrilled to see the series end in such spectacular fashion in New York City, and to have four such incredible series champions to celebrate.

“Series XV has been one for the history books, with three new world records set across the divisions and a host of course and regional records falling as well.

“Our six races continue to raise the bar of elite performance in the marathon, and we congratulate Sifan, Catherine, Kelvin and Marcel on their fantastic achievements in this series.”

Series XVI will begin at the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, 2024.

Final top 5 standings

   
   
   
Elite men   
   
Elite women   
   
Wheelchair men   
   
Wheelchair women   
   
Prize money   
   
1   
   
Kelvin Kiptum 50   
   
Sifan Hassan 50**   
   
Marcel Hug 124   
   
Catherine Debrunner 100   
   
$50,000   
   
2   
   
Tamirat Tola 34   
   
Hellen Obiri 50   
   
Daniel Romanchuk 76   
   
Manuela Schär 82   
   
$25,000   
   
3   
   
Benson Kipruto 25*   
   
Amane Beriso 41   
   
Jetze Plat 45   
   
Susannah Scaroni 70   
   
$12,500   
   
4   
   
Eliud Kipchoge 25   
   
Rosemary Wanjiru 25   
   
Tomoki Suzuki 20   
   
Madison de Rozario 50   
   
$7,500   
   
5   
   
Albert Korir 20**   
   
Alemu Megertu 25   
   
Aaron Pike 12   
   
Eden Rainbow-Cooper 20   
   
$5,000   

*Benson Kipruto beat Eliud Kipchoge in Boston so finishes above him on head-to-head. Kipchoge started in two Majors: Boston and Berlin.

** Albert Korir has less points than Deso Gelmisa, Evans Chebet and Victor Kaplangat (each has 25), but he started in two Majors, while those athletes only started in one. Per AbbottWMM rules in the elite open division, an athlete must start in at least two Qualifying Races over the cycle to be eligible for the prize. If an athlete earns points in more than two events, the athlete’s highest two finishes are scored.

***Sifan Hassan is declared champion by race director vote over Hellen Obiri

In the wheelchair division, an athlete’s best four scores are used for their total at the end of the series.

Share this post

Other news

8 Ways to Avoid Blood Sugar Spikes

Keep your glucose levels steadier by practicing these lifestyle habits
Rob Simmelkjaer - New York Road Runners CEO

Marathon Talk Episode 53: Rob Simmelkjaer - New York Road Runners CEO

Marathon Talk meets Rob Simmelkjaer - New York Road Runners CEO
Catherine Debrunner

Swiss stars shine in Berlin sun

Hug and Debrunner retain titles