Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya win the New York City Marathon

NEW YORK (AP) — Abdi Nageeye and Sheila Chepkirui used strong kicks in the final mile to pull away from their nearest competitors and both win the New York City Marathon for the first time Sunday.

Nageeye, who became the first runner from the Netherlands to win the men's race, was step-for-step with 2022 champion Evans Chebet before using a burst of speed heading into Central Park for the final time to come away with the win in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 39 seconds. Chebet finished 6 seconds behind.

“At the finish I was like, am I’m dreaming? I won New York,” Nageeye said.

He had run the New York race three times before with his best finish coming in 2022, when he was third.

“I know the course,” Nageeye said. “Today was two things: survive that race and my race is after 36 (kilometers; 22 miles). I was thinking like a cyclist, survive 36K and you’re going to win.”

Chepkirui was running New York for the first time and pulled away from defending champion Hellen Obiri in the women's race in the last stretch.

“Let me push the last mile, let me give it my best,” the Kenyan said. "When we were around 600 meters to go, I said to myself I have to push harder. When I saw Hellen wasn’t coming, I knew I was going to win and was so happy.”

Chepkirui, who started to run marathons in 2022, won in 2:24.35. Obiri finished nearly 15 seconds behind.

Obiri was looking to be the first consecutive champion since Mary Keitany of Kenya won three in a row from 2014-16. Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya finished third, giving the African nation the top three spots.

Tamirat Tola, the men's defending champion and Paris Olympic gold medalist, finished fourth, right behind Albert Korir.

“I had a good year,” Tola told The Associated Press through a translator. “I won the Olympics and then to come back to New York after that, you know it's a tough course. I know that I expended a lot of energy. Around the 33-kilometer mark I felt my muscle tighten and my muscles just couldn't handle it.”

Tola, who set the course record last year, was looking to be the first back-to-back men's champion since Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won in 2011 and 2013. The 2012 race was canceled because of Superstorm Sandy.

The top Americans finished sixth in both races. Conner Mantz led the men and Sara Vaughn the women. Vaughn was in the lead group heading into Mile 20 when they entered the Bronx before she dropped off the lead pack.

Vaughn was geared up to run Chicago before COVID-19 kept her from competing in that race. She was a late addition to this marathon.

The day got started with an upset in the men's wheelchair race as three-time defending champion Marcel Hug was beaten by Daniel Romanchuk, who also won in 2018 and 2019. Susannah Scaroni won the women’s wheelchair race. It was her second victory in New York, also taking the 2022 race and giving Americans winners in both events — the first time that has happened.

The 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) course took runners through all five boroughs of New York, starting in Staten Island and ending in Central Park. This is the 48th year the race has been in all five boroughs. Before that, the route was completely in Central Park when it began in 1970. The first race had only 55 finishers while more than 50,000 competed this year.

A few hours after the top runners finished, it was announced that the Sydney Marathon would become the seventh world major marathon, joining Berlin, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, London and New York.

The weather was perfect to run in with temperatures in the lower 40s when the race started. Last year, it was 61 degrees when the race started.

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Abdi Nageeye, of the Netherlands, crosses the finish line to win the men's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui smiles after winning the women's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Runners cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge at the start of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Women's division winner Sheila Chepkirui, right, poses with men's divsion winner Abdi Nageeye, of the Netherlands, during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Abdi Nageeye, of the Netherlands, right, runs to crosses the finish line to win the men's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Abdi Nageeye, of the Netherlands, poses after winning the men's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Abdi Nageeye, of the Netherlands, crosses the finish line to win the men's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui crosses the finish line to win the women's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui crosses the finish line to win the women's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Abdi Nageeye, of the Netherlands, crosses the finish line to win the men's division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Susannah Scaroni crosses poses for photographs after winning the women's wheelchair division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

First place finisher Daniel Romanchuck, left, poses with second place finisher David Weir, of England, and Tomoki Zuzuki, of Japan, right, after winning the men's wheelchair division of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Yuma Morii, of Japan, center, makes his way across the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with the elite men's division runners during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Yuma Morii, of Japan, right, makes his way across the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with the elite men's division runners during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Yuma Morii, right center, of Japan, makes his way onto the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with runners in the men's elite division make their way from the start line during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Yuma Morii, left, of Japan, makes his way onto the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with runners in the men's elite division make their way from the start line during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Yuma Morii, right center, of Japan, makes his way onto the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with runners in the men's elite division make their way from the start line during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Runners in the men's elite division make their way through the Brooklyn borough during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Runners in the men's elite division make their way through the Brooklyn borough during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Runners in the men's elite division make their way through the Brooklyn borough during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Runners in the men's elite division make their way through the Brooklyn borough during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Yuma Morii, right, of Japan, makes his way onto the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with runners in the men's elite division make their way from the start line during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Yuma Morii, of Japan, right, makes his way across the Verrazzano Narrows bridge with the elite men's division runners during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York.(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Runners in the men's elite division make their way through the Brooklyn borough during the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot a Spirit Airlines flight and the United Nations said it will suspend flights, “obviously limiting the flow of humanitarian aid and humanitarian personnel into the country.”

The bullets hit the plane when it was about to land Monday in the country’s capital Port-au-Prince, injuring a flight attendant. It was part of a wave of violence that erupted in Haiti as the country swore in its new prime minister after a politically tumultuous process.

Life in much of Haiti’s capital was frozen after the wave of violence, which came to a head when gangs shot a Spirit Airlines airplane Monday, forcing the airport to shut down. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. A number of airlines suspended flights to Haiti through Thursday, but it was unclear how long closures could drag on.

Neither the former interim prime minister, Garry Conille, nor the newly inaugurated Alix Didier Fils-Aimé commented on the violence.

But Luis Abinader, who as president of the neighboring Dominican Republic has cracked down on Haitian migration, called firing on the airplane terrorism.

"This was a terrorist act; the countries that are following and helping Haiti should declare these armed gangs as terrorist groups,” Abinader said in a news conference.

On Tuesday, heavily armed police in armored cars outside the airport checked trucks used for public transportation passing by.

Schools were closed, as were banks and government offices. Streets, where just a day before gangs and police were locked in a fierce firefight, were eerily empty, with few driving by other than a motorcycle with a man who had been shot clinging to the back.

The sounds of heavy gunfire still echoed through the streets in the afternoon — a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti's elites and a strong push by the international community to restore peace, the country's toxic slate of gangs kept its firm hold on much of the Caribbean nation.

The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles with a lack of funding and personnel, prompting calls for a U.N. peacekeeping mission.

The violence comes after a transitional council, tasked with restoring democratic order to Haiti, which hasn't held elections since 2016, decided to fire Conille, who often was at odds with the council during his six months in office. The council rapidly swore in businessman Fils-Aimé as the new interim prime minister.

Conille originally called the move illegal, but on Tuesday acknowledged Fils-Aimé's appointment in a post on the social media platform X.

“(I) wish him success in fulfilling this mission. At this crucial moment, unity and solidarity are essential for our country. Long live Haiti!" he wrote.

Fils-Aimé promised to work with international partners to restore peace and hold long awaited elections, a vow also made by his predecessor.

But many Haitians, like 43-year-old Martha Jean-Pierre, have little taste for the political fighting, which experts say only give gangs more freedom to continue expanding their control as Haiti teeters on the brink of famine.

Jean-Pierre was among those to brave the streets of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to sell the plantains, carrots, cabbage and potatoes she carried in a basket on her head. She had no choice, she said — selling was the only way she could feed her children.

“What good is a new prime minister if there's no security, if I can't move freely and sell my goods,” she said, nodding to her basket of vegetables. “This is my bank account, this is what my family depend on."

It was a frustration that appeared to be international players that have pushed for a peaceful resolution in Haiti like the U.N. and the U.S.

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department lamented that Conille and the council “were unable to move forward in a constructive manner" and called on Fils-Aimé and the council to provide a clear action plan outlining a joint vision on how to decrease violence and pave the path for elections to be held to “prevent further gridlock.”

“The acute and immediate needs of the Haitian people mandate that the transitional government prioritize governance over the competing personal interests of political actors,” it wrote in a statement.

Associated Press video journalist Pierre-Richard Luxama contributed to this report.

A view of the Toussaint Louverture international airport, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

The body of a man who was shot dead by a stray bullet, is secured to the floor of a tap-tap, in the Solino neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A police officer patrols the entrance of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Police officers patrol near the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

FILE - Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille speaks during a joint press conference with Kenya's President William Ruto at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)

Journalists take cover from the exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Police officers patrol the area during an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Police officers patrol a street during an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A police officer looks on during an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)