hailedidit

NEW YORK (AP): Haile

Gebrselassie won

the

New

York City Half Marathon in 59

minutes, 24

seconds Sunday,

cruising away

two-thirds

through the race to win his

eighth

half marathon

in eight

attempts.

Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic gold

medalist

for Ethiopia, pulled away

from Abdi

Abdirahman of

the United States shortly after

they emerged from

Central Park along with

two-time Boston

Marathon champion Robert

Cheruiyot of Kenya.

Hilda Kibet of Kenya won the women's race

in 1:

10:32, outkicking

defending champion

Catherine

Ndereba by 1.15 seconds. Nina

Rillstone

of New

Zealand, a surprise leader

until the last 500

meters whe

n the two

Kenyans passed her, was

3.75 back in third.

Near the 13-kilometer mark, the Somalia-born Abdirahman surged ahead to leave Cheruiyot behind,
and then Gebrselassie left Abdirahman behind for the final eight kilometers of the race.

Gebrselassie appeared comfortable as he ran alone down the West Side highway. One fan near the
finish at Battery Park on New York Harbor waved an Ethiopian flag in honor of Gebrselassie. Source

Ethiopian running great looks toward New York debut

2007-08-04 00:00:39 -

NEW YORK (AP) - Haile Gebrselassie rubbed the back of his neck as he mimicked the perils of
straining to see the tops of Manhattan skyscrapers.
There's something special about competing in cities like New York, London or Paris, said
Gebrselassie, perhaps the greatest distance runner in history. Win in one of those places, and there's
never a need to explain to anybody where the event took place.
But the 34-year-old Ethiopian had never raced in New York until now. Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic
champion and 22-time world record-holder, headlines a strong men's field at the second NYC Half-
Marathon.
About 10,000 entrants are expected Sunday for the 21.1-kilometer (13.1-mile) race, which begins with a
loop around Central Park in Midtown, continues through Times Square, then ends near Battery Park on
the southern tip of the island of Manhattan.

«To win in New York, it's a dream,»

Gebrselassie said Friday at a news

conference at

an Ethiopian restaurant

few

blocks off the race route.

Renowned for his longevity and

versatility,

the

1996 and 2000 Olympic

10,000-meter

champion has focused

on road racing and

marathons since

the 2004 Games.

Gebrselassie is

undefeated in seven

career

half-

marathons.

This is just the fourth time Gebrselassie has raced in the United States as a professional. The travel
time makes competing in America, he said.
But he does hope to enter the New York City Marathon _ he's just not sure when. Gebrselassie watched
the finish in Central Park as a guest a few years ago.
New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg joked that Gebrselassie's recruitment set a record.
It dated to an appearance he made in New York in 1998.
Gebrselassie remembers the first time he competed in the United States _ it was the first time he'd ever
seen snow. He ran in the World Cross Country Junior Championships in Boston in March 1992.
The only part of the elements he's concerned about Sunday is pollen. He's already scouted out Central
Park to ensure it won't be a problem. Gebrselassie dropped out of the London Marathon in April
because of breathing problems and later determined it was because of allergies.
Gebrselassie's top challengers Sunday include Abdi Abdirahman of the U.S., a two-time Olympian;
Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya, the three-time Boston Marathon champion; and Hendrick Ramaala of South
Africa, the 2004 NYC Marathon winner. Defending champion Catherine Ndereba leads the women's
field.
The male and female winners each receives $10,000 (¤7,300).
Gebrselassie said he has no timetable for retiring. He set two more world records in late June _ in the
one-hour run and 20,000 meters. He does know he won't go into coaching when that day comes.
«What I'm thinking is if I become a coach, I'd destroy the athlete,» Gebrselassie said. «I'm serious. The
way I'm training, it's crazy.»

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Ethiopia - Haile Gebrselassie wins New York
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