By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Former world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Olympic champion Sifan Hassan will make their New York City Marathon debut in November, organisers New York Road Runners said on Wednesday.
The pair headlined the Sydney Marathon last month as the 25-year-old race was elevated to the World Marathon Majors series, and the Dutchwoman broke the tape in two hours, 18 minutes and 22 seconds.
Hassan, the third-fastest woman of all time over the distance, finished third in London in 2:19:00 earlier this year.
The 40-year-old Rio and Tokyo Olympic champion Kipchoge has not notched a marathon win since his 11th major triumph in Berlin two years ago.
He became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, an achievement likened to the moon landing, though the attempt was not recognised as an official record as it did not adhere to World Athletics rules for open competition.
New York is the only marathon major that Kipchoge has not run before.
The duo join a field that includes men’s and women’s defending champions Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya, and past winners Albert Korir and Evans Chebet, also from Kenya.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York)
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