Simbassa's marathon exploits earn him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS — Moving to No. 4 on the all-time U.S. men's performer list in the marathon, Biya Simbassa (Flagstaff, AZ/USATF Arizona) earned recognition as the 38th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2024.

Simbassa, a Team USATF member at the 2023 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, chopped almost four minutes off his previous lifetime marathon best with a 2:06:53 at the Valencia Marathon in Spain. That time moved him into fourth on the all-time U.S. performer list for the marathon and was the eighth-fastest time ever run by an American.

The 11th-place finisher in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon in Orlando earlier this year, Simbassa won the USATF 10K Championships in September and had third place finishes at the USATF 10 Mile Championships, 20K Championships, and 25K Championships. He is second in the point standings on the 2024 USATF Running Circuit.
 
Other top performances from last week:

• Sara Hall, 41, bettered the American women's masters age 40-44 record in the marathon with a 2:23:45 at Valencia to place 10th overall. The ratified record is 2:27:35 by Desiree Linden in 2023, and Hall ran 2:26:06 at the Olympic Trials in February.
• Weini Kelati won the women's title at the 88th Manchester Road Race for the fourth year in a row with a 23:14 effort that put her 51 seconds ahead of her nearest challenger.
• Andrew Colley was the men's winner at the 88th Manchester Road Race, running 21:09 to take the victory by six seconds.
• Roberta Groner, 46, bettered the American women's masters age 45-49 record in the marathon at Valencia with a 2:29:32 to place 24th overall. The ratified record is 2:30:51 by Colleen de Reuck in 2010.
• Camille Herron bettered the women's American record for the 24-hour track run, covering 263.004km at the Soochow Invitational in Taipei. She set the ratified AR of 262.193km in 2018.

Now in its 23rd year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous 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 welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

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