Ethiopian runner Tamirat Tola delivered a stunning solo performance to win the Olympic men’s marathon in Paris on Saturday, while Eliud Kipchoge’s pursuit of a third gold medal ended in disappointment.
Tola set a new Olympic record with a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 26 seconds, finishing 21 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Bashir Abdi, who improved on his bronze from the Covid-affected Tokyo Games three years ago.
Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, a winner of marathons in Tokyo, Boston, and Chicago, secured the bronze, trailing Abdi by an additional 13 seconds.
“Thank you, Paris!” exclaimed Tola, who turns 33 on Sunday and was the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist in the 10,000m. “I’m happy today. I was the 2022 world champion, and now I’m Olympic champion. It’s the greatest day of my life. This was my goal.”
Tola, who was a late replacement for the injured Sisay Lemma, had previously won gold at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, finished third at last year’s London Marathon, and set a course record of 2:04:58 at the New York City Marathon.
Kipchoge, a former world record holder with golds from the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 Games, withdrew from the race just after the 30km mark. At that point, the 39-year-old Kenyan was in 71st place, over eight minutes behind the leader, ending his bid for a third consecutive Olympic title.
In a poignant moment captured by an AFP reporter, Kipchoge handed his shoes, bib, and socks to fans in the crowd, receiving a warm ovation.
Tola’s teammate, Kenenisa Bekele, a three-time Olympic and five-time world champion in the 5000m and 10,000m before transitioning to marathons, finished 39th with a time of 2:12:24.
The marathon course, spanning 42 kilometers, traced a historic route from central Paris to Versailles, echoing the Women’s March on Versailles from October 5, 1789, a pivotal event in the French Revolution. The challenging route featured a 436-meter climb and a 438-meter descent, with the steepest gradient reaching 13.5 percent.
