UNITED STATES, June 12 – Kenya’s Jemima Sumgong took the tape in 31:26 at the 45th edition of the New York Mini 10Km, leading a group of 17 Rio-bound Olympic marathoners and a record-number 8,833 finishers through the historic Central Park course.
Sumgong, the reigning Virgin Money London Marathon champion, was neck-and-neck with American Aliphine Tuliamuk for the first half of the course before breaking from the pack after the 5K mark to win in her event debut. Tuliamuk finished second in 32:14, and Burundi’s Diane Nukuri was third in 32:18.
“It was very difficult because the field was so strong,” Sumgong said. “But I was happy because it was my first time at the NYRR New York Mini 10K, and to finish in first place was the best thing I could ask for.”
Tuliamuk, who was born in Kenya and just became a U.S. citizen on April 29, showed promise with her second-place finish with less than a month to go before she competes in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
“Right around three miles, I realized Jemima was very strong, and she was going up the hill like a machine,” Tuliamuk said. “I just made sure at that point that nobody was coming up after me so that I could come in second.”
Third place marked the highest finish ever for Nukuri on the course, who was racing the event for the seventh time.
Americans Brianne Nelson (33:02) and Desiree Linden (33:17) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while Beverly Ramos (33:17) broke her own Puerto Rican 10K road record with a seventh-place result.