Geay joins Simbu in securing Paris Olympic Games ticket

Dar es Salaam. Gabriel Geay has become the second runner to secure the Paris Olympic Games qualifying mark following his impressive performance in the just ended Boston Marathon.  

Geay recorded 2:06.04 to finish second in the race to meet the qualifying mark set by the International Olympic

Committee (IOC) and World Athletics (WA) for the next year’s Games scheduled to start from July 26 to August 11.

The runner has pocketed $75,000 (Sh175 million) for finishing second in the race.

The first Tanzanian runner to qualify is Alphonce Simbu, who got the chance at the beginning of this year in Japan’s Osaka Marathon in which he recorded 2:06:19 to finish third.

The Osaka race saw Ethiopian athlete Hailemaryam Kiros winning a gold medal after clocking 2:06:01 while Kenyan Victor Kiplagat won silver medal after clocking 2:06:03.

According to IOC and WA, a male marathon runner should get a time of 2:08:10, while a female athlete should get a time of 2:26:50.

Meanwhile, the Government and Athletics Tanzania (AT) have congratulated Geay on finishing second in the prestigious Boston Marathon held last Monday.

Geay finished behind Kenyan Evans Chebet, who clocked 2:05:54. The third position was held by another Kenyan Benson Kipruto who used a time of 2:06:04.

Ally Mayay, Director of Sports Development at the ministry of Culture, Arts, and Sports, said Geay has shown how Tanzania is full of sports talents that are currently promoting the country beyond its borders.

According to Mayay, Geay has added value to Tanzania in terms of sports and has shown that he had worked on the mistakes he made last year when he finished fourth in the place.

“Last year, he finished fourth with a time of 2:07.53, while Chebet was the first with a time of 2:06:51, Lawrence Cherono, who is also from Kenya, took the second place with a time of 2:07:21, and the third position was held by Benson Kipruto, who spent 2:07:27. This year, he increased his e‑ orts and managed to overrun two Kenyans, and I believe that the more he continues, the more he will win the competition next year,” said Mayay.

Also, AT president Silas Isangi has congratulated Geay on winning the silver medal in the competition and urged other athletes to increase their efforts so that they benefit from their skills and bring glory to Tanzania.

Isangi said they believe that when next year comes around, Tanzania will have made great progress in the sport and many athletes will bring more fame to Tanzania, apart from qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games.