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woman raising her hands in victory
woman raising her hands in victory
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American Woman Wins NYC Marathon For The First Time In 40 Years

Rachael Jones
Western Contributor
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Western chapter.

For the first time in four decades, an American woman ran through the finish line and won the women’s New York City (NYC) Marathon this past Sunday.

          Image from CNN 2017

After finishing the race with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 53 seconds, Olympic medalist, Shalane Flanagan beat three-time defending champion Mary Keitany of Kenya by about one minute, according to several reports.

Flanagan crossed the finish line with tears in her eyes before proudly carrying the American flag to celebrate her win—the first time an American woman has done so since 1977.

“It’s indescribable..It’s a moment I’m trying to soak up and savor,” said Flanagan in an article released in TIME magazine.

Flanagan made her debut in the NYC Marathon in 2010, where she finished in second place with an official time of 2 hours, 28 minutes and 40 seconds. Her race was also recorded as the best finish by an American woman in two decades at that time.

Flanagan had not competed in the NYC Marathon since her impressive race in 2010, but came back with another notable run this year.

In addition to her new title as NYC Marathon winner, she also holds the American records for the 3,000 metre and 5,000 metre indoor races. In the 2008 Olympics, Flanagan also took the bronze medal for the 10,000 metre race. However, due to complications, the International Association of Athletics Federations ruled that the silver medalist, Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey, was being sanctioned for a positive doping test and was disqualified, making Flanagan’s time the second-fastest that year.

Earlier today, Flanagan took to Twitter to express her feelings on the marathon.

Official runner times from the NYC Marathon will be released later this month.

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Rachael, Her Campus Western’s 2017-2018 News Editor, is a senior at Western University studying Media, Information, and Technolculture, and Professional Communication. She is an aspiring journalist with a passion for news and controversial issues. On most days, you can find her fuelling her coffee addiction at various cafés, exploring fashion blogs, and day-dreaming about her next travel destinations. Follow Rachael on Instagram: raeejones
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