Keflezighi Was First U.S. Winner of New York Marathon Since 1982

Meb Keflezighi became the first American man to win the New York Marathon since 1982, while Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia won the women’s race.

Keflezighi crossed the finish line in Central Park in a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 15 seconds for his first major marathon title.

Four-time Boston Marathon winner Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya was second, 41 seconds behind the winner, and Morocco’s Jaouad Gharib took third in 2:10:25, 11 seconds ahead of American Ryan Hall, who finished fourth. Six Americans placed in the top 10, tying the race record.

The 34-year-old Keflezighi, who was born in Eritrea and became a U.S. citizen in 1998, is the first American to win since Alberto Salazar, who won three years in a row through 1982.

In the women’s race, Russian Ludmila Petrova was runner-up for the second straight year, Christelle Daunay of France was third and two-time defending champion Paula Radcliffe, the world-record holder from the U.K., was fourth.

The 37-year-old Tulu, who collected 10,000-meter gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1992 and 2000 and last won a major marathon in London in 2001, said she wasn’t expecting to win.

“I tried not to win really, but to challenge the others,” she said in a televised interview. “I tried to go with them, and I have a chance, after 35 kilometers, to win.”