In a dominant display, Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola secured the men’s marathon gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, breaking the previous Olympic record in the process.
Tola stormed to victory in a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 26 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark set by Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru at the 2008 Beijing Games by 6 seconds.
Belgium’s Bashir Abdi finished second in 2:06:47 to upgrade his bronze from Tokyo 2020, while Kenyan Benson Kipruto claimed the bronze medal in 2:07:00.
There was also a strong performance from Britain’s Emile Cairess, who finished a commendable fourth in 2:07:29 after briefly holding second place at the 30km mark before dropping back.
“It was a good race. I tried to pace myself, be sensible, keep myself cool and just try to finish well,” said Cairess. “I just didn’t want to leave anything on the course, give 100% to the race and have no regrets.”
However, there was disappointment for two-time defending champion Eliud Kipchoge, who was unable to complete the race after struggling in the latter stages. The 39-year-old Kenyan, aiming to become the first three-time Olympic marathon champion, pulled out with just over 10km remaining.
Cairess’ British teammates Phil Sesemann and Mahamed Mahamed finished 46th and 57th respectively.
Tola, the world champion in 2022, only secured his spot in the Ethiopian team two weeks ago after an injury to his teammate Sisay Lemma. The 32-year-old surged into the lead at the halfway point and gradually extended his advantage as the iconic Eiffel Tower came back into view.
“I am happy because I fulfilled my goal. I prepared well. I trained hard so I could win. In my life, this is my great achievement,” said an elated Tola.
“I was the reserve in the Ethiopian team but when Sisay [Lemma] had injuries, I had a chance to represent him. I was fully prepared and knew I could fulfil my dream. I am happy to do that today.”
Tola’s dominant performance capped a memorable day for Ethiopia in the men’s marathon event at the Paris Olympics.
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