Eliud Kipchoge’s dream of securing a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the men’s marathon came to a disappointing end on Saturday, August 10, 2024. The marathon legend was dethroned by Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, who clocked in at 2:06:26, claiming gold for his country.
Tola broke the previous Olympic record of 2:06:32 set by Kenya’s late Samuel Wanjiru during the 2008 Beijing Games. “Tamirat Tola breaks the Olympic marathon record with 2:06:26 on what might be the most brutal marathon course ever in the history of the Olympics,” stated World Athletics.
Following Tola were Belgium’s Bashir Abdi, who earned silver after improving on his bronze medal from the Tokyo Games, and Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, who secured the bronze medal. Tola established a significant lead early in the race, finishing strong in two hours, six minutes, and 26 seconds.
Emerging from a group of frontrunners on the steep ascents of the challenging course, the former cross-country specialist increased his advantage as the race progressed.
Initially, at 10 kilometers, Kipruto, the fastest marathoner of the year, was leading the pack before Tola took control. The top three runners frequently exchanged the lead.
Despite being a legendary figure in athletics, with two Olympic gold medals and ten major marathon victories, Kipchoge struggled at this event. By the 25-kilometer mark, he was in 65th place and was later seen walking before ultimately withdrawing from the race.
At the time of this report, Kipchoge had not commented on his performance at the Paris Olympics. Prior to this setback, he had achieved back-to-back Olympic gold medals, winning in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
No historic triple for 🇰🇪's @EliudKipchoge 💔
The double Olympic marathon champion sits in 63rd place after 25km.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/r99q7C8Pog
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 10, 2024
Following Kenya’s performance, Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen lauded Kipruto for winning Bronze and encouraged Kipchoge to keep his head high despite the loss.
“Congratulations, Benson Kipruto, on bringing home the Olympic bronze medal in one of the toughest marathon courses in the Games’ history. Great team effort from Alexander Mutiso and the Greatest of All Time, Eliud Kipchoge.
“It was a brutal race, but you guys gave it everything you had, blood and sweat. The nation is proud of you. Keep the Kenyan flag flying. We shall be back!” Murkomen wrote on X.
