Kenyan Benson Kipruto finished third in the men's marathon (C) Kelly Ayodi / Olympics Kenya
There was to be no record third consecutive Olympic marathon title for the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge as Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola clocked 2:06:26 to win the gold medal in the men's marathon with an Olympic record time at the 2024 Paris Olympics Games on Saturday morning in Paris, France.
The 32-year old won Ethiopia's first gold medal in Paris in style, breaking the late Samuel Wanjiru's record in the event, which had stood for 16 years since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, by six seconds.
Benson Kipruto of Kenya, making his Olympic Games debut, bagged the bronze medal with a time of 2:07:00.
The Somali-born Belgian marathoner, Bashir Abdi, who won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, finished second with a season best time of 2:06:47 to upgrade his medal from three years ago to silver.
Tola, a late inclusion into the Ethiopian marathon team following the withdrawal of Sisay Lemma due to injury, conquered the streets of the French capital, crossing the finish line at the Esplanade des Invalides with a time of , becoming the fourth Ethiopian to win the event the Olympic Games.
Abebe Bikila (1960 and 1964), Mamo Wolde (1968), and Gezahegne Abera (2000) are Ethiopia's previous Olympic marathon winners.
Eliud Kipchoge, the previous Olympic champion, failed to finish the race, headlining the list of 10 athletes who succumbed to the brutal demands the race's undulating routes placed on the athletes. The 39-year old Kenyan withdrew from the race after 30 kilometres following a struggle with injury to his left hip which he started troubling after 15 kilometres. It marked the first time that Kipchoge failed to finish a marathon and with the performance following his disappointing 10th place finish at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon in March this year, questions continue to linger whether the former world marathon record holder is past his best.
The Somali-born Dutch marathoner Abdi Nageeye, who won silver in the event at the last Olympics held in the Japanese capital, was the other high profile name to fail to finish the race due to injury. Nageeye dropped off the race after 40 kilometres.
Alexander Munyao, Kenya's other representative in the race and the reigning London marathon champion, finished 21st with a time of 2:10:31.
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, making his return to the Olympic Games for the firs time since 2012, finished 39th with a time of 2:12:24.
Bekele's return to the Olympic Games coupled with Kipchoge's participation saw the race billed to be yet another epic duel in the long rivalry between the two athletes which was coming full circle in the French capital but it was not to be.
With their age advanced, there was to be no repeat of their exhilarating battle that marked their first meeting in the 5 000 metres final of the 2003 IAAF World Athletics Championship during which the Kenyan won the gold medal with a championship record time of 12:52.79 as Bekele bagged the bronze medal after finishing third behind the legendary Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj whose presence spiced that duel between Bekele and Kipchoge.
The other Ethiopian in the race, Deresa Geleta, was fifth with a time of 2:07.31.
The Tanzanian Alphonse Simbu who had shown medal promise at some stages of the race finished 17th with a time 2:10.03.
Amare Samsom of Eritrea (10th, 2:08:56, a season best) and Ibrahim Hassan of Djibouti (14th, 2:09:31, season best) were the other eastern Africans to finish in the top 20.
Two athletes, Tebello Ramakongoana of Lesotho (7th, 2:07:58) and Yaseen Abdalla of Sudan (33rd, 2:11:41), ran personal best times as they set new national records in the event.
With Kenya losing the men's marathon title, focus now shifts on the women's marathon which takes place on Sunday morning. Peres Chepchirchir will hope to defend her title from Tokyo three years ago but should glory elude her, Kenyans will hope that either of her compatriots, Hellen Obiri or Sharon Lokedi, inherit her Olympic title.
