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Sharon Lokedi has been beaten by her Kenyan compatriot Hellen Obiri twice this year, losing by just a few seconds, and she heads to Sunday’s New York Marathon looking to return the favour.
Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi are set for another feisty contest at the New York Marathon on Sunday, November 3 in what will be the third time the two are squaring it off this year.
The Kenyan marathoners have had two epic battles between this season that were separated by just seconds and with Obiri coming out on top on both occasions, Lokedi must be itching to finally get her revenge.
New York is not new to both Obiri and Lokedi as the former made her marathon debut in the Big Apple, finishing sixth in 2022, before she returned to win the race last year.
Meanwhile, while Obiri was licking her wounds two years ago, Lokedi was celebrating having been the winner of the 2022 New York race, her first-ever major marathon win, but she failed to defend her title in 2023, managing third place, when Obiri won the race.
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08:30 - 01.11.2024
Ruth Chepng'etich main motivation as Hellen Obiri gears up for gruelling New York City Marathon
Hellen Obiri has plans to emulate Ruth Chepng'etich as she prepares to toe the line at Sunday's New York City Marathon.
Lokedi sought to get one over Obiri at this year’s Boston Marathon in April but her compatriot stood her ground. However, it was a great battle as the two were separated by just eight seconds.
At the 2024 Boston Marathon, a pack of 20 women ran together for the first half of the race but with seven kilometres remaining, it was down to 12 with Obiri, Lokedi and veteran Kenyan Edna Kiplagat among them.
Six minutes later, Obiri, Lokedi and Kiplagat broke away and after four minutes, the veteran was left behind. Obiri would hit the front after passing the 40km mark but Lokedi styed tight, forcing the former to kick hard to win the race by eight seconds after clocking 2:22:37 to her rival’s 2:22:45.
The story was the same for the two at the Paris 2024 Olympics where Obiri denied Lokedi a podium place by just four seconds.
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05:34 - 31.10.2024
'It was life-changing' - Sharon Lokedi reveals why the 2022 New York Marathon win remains special
The 30-year-old who relocated to the United States in 2015, has been a pro runner since 2021.
The Olympics marathon race was won by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, with Ethiopian Tigist Assefa finishing second, but the real battle was between Obiri and Lokedi for the bronze medal.
Obiri had run a tactical race, keeping an eye on Hassan, while Lokedi, defending champion Peres Jepchirchir, Assefa and Amane Beriso were among the leading pack.
Jepchichir and Beriso would drop out just before the 40km mark and in the closing stages, Obiri, who had fallen twice and missed some drink stations, surged forward but could not match the pace of Hassan and Assefa in the final stretch.
She, however, did just enough to fend off the challenge of Lokedi, beating her to bronze by just four seconds after clocking a personal best 2:23:10 to Lokedi’s 2:23:14, also her personal best.
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07:48 - 31.10.2024
Four women to watch in the 2024 New York City Marathon
The New York Marathon will take place on Sunday and ahead of the epic race, Pulse Sports highlights the four women likely to be on the podium.
Heading to New York, it will be the fourth time in a year when the two square it off and 30-year-old Lokedi will be looking to use her losses to Obiri as fuel to fire her to a win and in return avenge the three losses she has suffered over the last one year to her 34-year-old Kenyan compatriot.
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