(Reuters) – Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel will make her New York City Marathon debut in November as part of a field that includes former Boston Marathon champion Des Linden, organisers said on Wednesday.
Seidel, in just the third marathon of her career, became the third American woman to medal in the event at an Olympic Games when she finished with a time of 2:27:46 in Sapporo to take bronze behind Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei.
The 27-year-old American said she had the Olympic women’s marathon and 50th running of the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7 circled on her calendar since the start of 2021.
“Winning the bronze medal in Sapporo showed that I can run with the best in the world, and on any given day, anything is possible,” Seidel said in a news release. “I can’t think of a better year to run my first New York than in its 50th running.”
Among those joining Seidel in New York in the professional athlete field will be 2020 U.S. Olympic marathon trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk, former runner-up Sally Kipyego and two-times Olympian Linden.
Kenyan-born American Tuliamuk gave birth to her daughter in January and returned to training in time to compete in Sapporo, where she dropped out of the marathon near the 20km mark.
Kipyego, the Kenyan 2012 Olympic 10,000 metres silver medallist who is now a U.S. citizen, placed 17th in Sapporo and has not run the New York City Marathon since her runner-up finish in 2016.
“My life has changed a lot since then – I improved my marathon personal best, became a mother, and gained U.S. citizenship – but one thing that hasn’t changed is my dream of reaching the top step of that podium in Central Park,” said Kipyego.
Linden enjoyed a career-defining moment at the 2018 Boston Marathon where she thrived under harsh conditions to become the first American woman in 33 years to win the prestigious race.
The 38-year-old Linden finished fourth at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, one spot shy of making her third Olympic team.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
