FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Abbott World Marathon Majors Awards Edna Kiplagat Series VIII Women's Title
CHICAGO - Oct. 26, 2106 - Today Abbott World Marathon Majors named Kenya's
Edna Kiplagat as the winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series
2013-2014 (Series VIII).
"We can now finally say that justice has been served and that Edna Kiplagat
has received the recognition she deserves," said AbbottWMM general manager
Tim Hadzima.
Kiplagat has been awarded the AbbottWMM title following today's decision
from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold the IAAF appeal and
therefore confirm that Rita Jeptoo (Kenya) is banned from competition for
four years from Oct. 30, 2014, and all her results from April 17, 2014 are
annulled. According to the AbbottWMM code of conduct, Jeptoo will receive
a lifetime ban from its six AbbottWMM marathons.
"We are disappointed that due process took so long but we are delighted
that at last we are able to acknowledge Edna Kiplagat," said Hadzima. "We
will continue to work with the IAAF and other organizations to facilitate
our extensive additional out-of-competition testing program for marathon
runners, and to do all that we can to reach our goal of eradicating
doping."
Kiplagat joins Kenya's Wilson Kipsang at the top of the AbbottWMM Series
VIII leaderboard. The two athletes amassed the most points based on
finishes in a two-year series, which included the 2013 Tokyo, Boston,
Virgin London, BMW-BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and New York City
Marathons, the 2013 IAAF World Championships, and the 2014 Tokyo, Boston,
Virgin Money London, BMW-BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and TCS New York
City Marathons.
Kiplagat, like Kipsang, wins a prize purse of $500,000. A veteran of
AbbottWMM races, Kiplagat finished top of the AbbottWMM rankings via a
first place finish at the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon, and a gold
medal win for the marathon at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow.
"Every marathon runner dreams of winning this title," Kiplagat said. "It
means so much to me and my family."
An Accomplished Runner and Mother
Kiplagat, who set her personal best of 2:19:50 in the 2012 Virgin London
Marathon, is a parent to four children and juggles an extensive training
schedule amidst running a household and a working farm that produces a wide
variety of animals and produce. She has said her family is her true focus,
and has shared in the past that her racing victories can be attributed to
the support from her children and husband Gilbert Koech.
AbbottWMM Series X
Professional runners and wheelchair athletes are now competing for
AbbottWMM Series X titles. The 2016 Boston Marathon followed by the 2016
Virgin Money London Marathon marked the beginning of the one-year Series X,
which also includes the Olympic and Paralympic Marathons, the 2016
BMW-BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and TCS New York City Marathons and
Tokyo Marathon 2017. The cycle will conclude at the end of the 2017 Boston
Marathon.
About the Abbott World Marathon Majors
The Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, BMW BERLIN, Bank of America
Chicago, and TCS New York City Marathons together represent the Abbott
World Marathon Majors and serve as Qualifying Races.
In the years in which they are run, the Series also includes the IAAF World
Championships and Olympic Marathons, as well as the Paralympic and the IPC
Athletics World Championships Marathons.
At the conclusion of each Series cycle, a prize purse is divided equally
between the top male and female marathoners in the world, and between the
top male and female wheelchair racers in the world, as determined by points
earned in Qualifying Races.
The inaugural 2006-2007 WMM Series was launched at the 110th Boston
Marathon on April 17, 2006, and concluded at the New York City Marathon on
Nov. 4, 2007. The Tokyo Marathon became a Qualifying Race in October 2012,
and the 2013-2014 series, the WMM's eighth two-year series, began with the
Tokyo Marathon on Feb. 24, 2013, and concluded at the TCS New York City
Marathon on Nov. 2, 2014.
The first Abbott World Marathon Majors series, titled AbbottWMM Series IX,
began at the Tokyo Marathon 2015 and concluded after completion of the
Tokyo Marathon 2016. Eliud Kipchoge and Mary Keitany are the AbbottWMM
Series IX champions.
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