Ethiopia's Tola wins gold in men's Olympic marathon as Tanzania’s Simbu finishes 17th
What you need to know:
- Alphonce Simbu finished in 17th place, while Gabriel Geay was forced to drop out.
Paris. Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola set an Olympic record on his way to winning gold in the men's marathon at the Paris Games on Saturday, while Tanzanian runners struggled to make an impact.
Alphonce Simbu finished in 17th place, while Gabriel Geay was forced to drop out.
Geay was not the only high-profile athlete who failed to finish the race, as Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, who was aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic crown, also did not complete the marathon.
Belgium's Bashir Abdi took silver, improving on his bronze from Tokyo, and Kenya's Benson Kipruto claimed bronze.
Tola built a strong lead early on, crossing the finish line in two hours, six minutes, and 26 seconds. Emerging from a pack of frontrunners on the first steep ascent of an exceptionally hilly course, the former cross-country specialist only seemed to gain strength on the second hill as others faded behind him.
By the 35km mark, Tola had an 18-second lead, which he extended as the Eiffel Tower came into sight, with crowds lining the streets cheering him on.
He became the first Ethiopian winner of the Olympic men's marathon in 24 years.
Tola's victory was all the more remarkable given that he was not initially on the team, having been called up after Sisay Lemma withdrew due to a hamstring injury. Tola, 32, won the New York Marathon last year in a course record.
He crossed the finish line to the cheers of Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia's former double Olympic 10,000m champion, whom Tola has cited as one of his inspirations to become a marathon runner.
Abdi and Kipruto were in a tight race with Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta for the remaining spots on the podium, but Geleta faded in the last two kilometers.
Abdi, who began his career competing in the 5,000m and 10,000m, finished in 2:06:47, with 33-year-old Kipruto posting a time of 2:07:00.
Kipruto had recorded the fastest time in the world this year, having won the Tokyo Marathon in March with a personal best of 2:02:16.
