On November 5, the highly anticipated 2023 TCS New York City Marathon took place. More than ten thousand athletes who trained to show their skills on New York roads participated in the race that began on Staten Island and finished in Central Park. Interestingly, this year Hellen Obiri and Tamirat Tola secured the gold while representing Kenya and Ethiopia, respectively.

Following this staunch win, the two athletes again managed to hit the headlines on Tuesday. The runners received a special honor from an NFL legend Aaron Rodgers before the New York Jets vs. Los Angeles Chargers game held at the Met Life stadium. A picture of Obiri and Tola with the quarterback has left the track and field community in awe.

Track and field champions receive a unique honor

On November 7, Citius Mag posted a hearty update captioned “These three stars have played a combined 94 seconds in the NFL this season” on X. In the picture at the New York Jets game, New York Marathon Champions Hellen Obiri and Tamirat Tola were spotted with NFL legend Aaron Rodgers at the stadium. In a video, the 39-year-old Rodgers was also seen bowing in front of the athletes as he congratulated them on their achievement.

This honor comes after both athletes secured extraordinary wins at the New York Marathon. In the men’s race, Ethiopian sprinter Tamirat Tola won his first major marathon title by finishing the race in two hours, four minutes, and 58 seconds. Amid this time, the athlete who faced tough competition from Jemel Yimer broke a 12-year-old record set in 2011 by Geoffrey Mutai. The 32-year-old Tola was followed by Albert Korir and Shura Kitata, who had to settle for the second and third positions by finishing the race in 2:06.57 and 2:07.11, respectively.

Interestingly, in the women’s race, Hellen Obiri, while representing Kenya, etched her name in athletic history. The athlete surpassed the reigning world champion to clinch gold at the event.

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Hellen Obiri’s staunch display of triumph

In the Women’s Open Division, Obiri stood atop the podium. The Kenyan sprinter, after surpassing the defending world champion, Sharon Lokedi, secured the win in 2:27:23. At the same time, Letesenbet Gidey and Sharon Lodeki had to settle for the second and third positions, respectively. Amid this win, the 33-year-old sprinter, who had to settle for the sixth position in her debut in the New York Marathon last year, stated in an interview, “Sometimes you learn from your mistakes, In a marathon, it takes patience.”

Also, read Hours After Disappointing Mishap at New York City Marathon, Track Photographer Uses Tragic Memory to Hilariously Troll World Athletics

In essence, after securing such staunch wins, both athletes truly deserve this extraordinary honor. Now the athletics fans are girding up for both Tola and Obiri to maintain their zeal and strike their magic in Paris next year.

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