Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam wins New York City Marathon

When world record holder Haile Gebrselassie dropped out of the New York City Marathon just more than halfway through, it opened the door for a different man from Ethiopia to grab the stage and Gebre Gebremariam took advantage. 

Gebremariam, 26, made his splash in his marathon debut, using a devastating finishing kick he developed at shorter distances to finish first in 2 hours, 8.14 minutes. He had come into the final miles in Central Park neck-and-neck with Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya but put the race away in strong fashion. 
Edna Kiplagat of Kenya made a similarly devastating move in Central Park to grab the women’s title in 2:28.20. Surging to a second place finish in her marathon debut was American Shalane Flanagan, who finished in 2:28.40.

Source: NY Times