INDIANAPOLIS — Achieving the rank of No. 4 on the all-time U.S. men’s marathon performer list, Biya Simbassa (Flagstaff, AZ/USATF Arizona) has been named the 38th USATF Athlete of the Week for 2024. Simbassa, who represented Team USATF at the 2023 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, improved his lifetime marathon record by nearly four minutes […]
INDIANAPOLIS — Achieving the rank of No. 4 on the all-time U.S. men’s marathon performer list, Biya Simbassa (Flagstaff, AZ/USATF Arizona) has been named the 38th USATF Athlete of the Week for 2024.
Simbassa, who represented Team USATF at the 2023 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, improved his lifetime marathon record by nearly four minutes with a time of 2:06:53 at the Valencia Marathon in Spain. This accomplishment placed him fourth on the historical U.S. marathon performer list and marked the eighth-fastest marathon time recorded by an American.
Having finished 11th in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon in Orlando earlier this year, Simbassa emerged victorious at the USATF 10K Championships in September and ranked third in both the 10 Mile and 20K Championships, as well as the 25K Championships. He currently sits in second place in the point standings for the 2024 USATF Running Circuit.
Highlights of notable performances from last week include:
- Sara Hall, 41, set a new American women’s masters record for ages 40-44 in the marathon with a 2:23:45 in Valencia, finishing 10th overall. The official record is 2:27:35, established by Desiree Linden in 2023, while Hall had a time of 2:26:06 at the Olympic Trials in February.
- Weini Kelati captured the women’s title at the 88th Manchester Road Race for the fourth consecutive year with a time of 23:14, finishing 51 seconds ahead of the closest competitor.
- Andrew Colley secured the men’s victory at the 88th Manchester Road Race, posting a time of 21:09 to win by six seconds.
- Roberta Groner, 46, set a new American women’s masters record for ages 45-49 in the marathon at Valencia with a time of 2:29:32, finishing 24th overall. The recognized record stands at 2:30:51, held by Colleen de Reuck since 2010.
- Camille Herron established a new American record for the women’s 24-hour track run by covering 263.004 km at the Soochow Invitational in Taipei, surpassing her previous record of 262.193 km set in 2018.
Now in its 23rd year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program aims to honor exceptional performers across all levels of the sport. Each week, a new athlete is recognized when high-level competitions occur, and their achievements are highlighted on USATF.org. Selections are made based on outstanding performances and results from the preceding week.
2024 Winners: January 17, Weini Kelati; January 24, Cooper Teare; January 31, Nico Young; February 7, Fiona O’Keeffe; February 14, Elle St. Pierre; February 21, Grant Holloway; February 28, Jalani Davis; March 6, Elle St. Pierre; March 13, Rachel Glenn; March 20, Grant Fisher; March 27, Myrle Mensey; April 3, Jordan Davis; April 10, Hillary Bor; April 17, Jacious Sears; April 24, Christian Miller; May 1, Payton Otterdahl; May 8, Gabby Thomas; May 15, Ja’Kobe Tharp; May 22, Rai Benjamin; May 29, Joe Kovacs; June 5, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; June 12, McKenzie Long; July 10, Valarie Allman; July 17, Rai Benjamin; July 24, Quincy Wilson; September 4, Ja’Kobe Tharp; September 11, Grant Holloway; September 18, Nora Cary; September 25, Jessica McClain; October 2, Brittany Brown; October 9, Fiona Bayly; October 16, CJ Albertson; October 23, Dan King; October 30, Nick Christie; November 6, Zariel Macchia; November 13, Courtney Olsen; November 20, Lauren Gregory; December 2, Biya Simbassa.
We encourage your nominations!
To put forth a nomination for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email regarding their performance to communications@usatf.org.
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