Andreas Almgren aims for sensational victory in New York City Marathon debut

After a strong summer that saw him win his first European 10,000m title, Andreas Almgren is preparing for his official marathon debut this Sunday. The Swedish athlete has high ambitions and told The Athletic that he believes he can win the prestigious New York City Marathon.

“I approach it with that childlike naivety that I go straight for the win”, said Andreas Almgren. “My preparation has been excellent and unless something completely unexpected happens, I will be able to maintain the pace at least until Central Park at mile 24. I am unlikely to record my fastest marathon in my debut. However, the profile in New York is ideal for a track runner like me – the first half is usually slower, and then the speed progressively increases. On the road, I have a strong final sprint. If I had chosen Valencia, rivals like Yomif Kejelcha and John Korir would have broken away from the start and I would be left alone”, added he.

Despite his lack of experience at 42.195 kilometers, Andreas Almgren is fully capable of surprising the favorites from Kenya and Ethiopia. He has already proven his class off the track, taking gold in the half marathon at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen 2026 with an impressive time of 58:06 minutes.

Among the leading European names in the men’s race is Dutchman Abdi Nageeye, who won in New York two years ago and will now be competing in only his third race of the season. Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa, who is also running the Copenhagen Half Marathon, improved his personal best to 2:05.18 earlier this year and will be part of a strong European presence.

In the women’s race, Germany’s Fabienne Konigstein will be looking to finish in the top ten after failing to finish the marathon at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham. She will be joined by Italy’s Giovanna Epis, who finished 21st in Birmingham and is continuing her pursuit of her personal best of 2:23.46 set in 2023.