Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola achieved redemption on the streets of Paris, winning the men’s Olympic marathon in a record time of 2:06:26. Tola is the first Ethiopian man to win Olympic gold in the marathon in 24 years.
Tola made his move on the hills between 15 and 20 kilometres, creating a 10-second gap and never looking back. He extended the lead to 20 seconds after the giant hall at 29 km.
This win and Olympic record come just two months after he was initially left off the Ethiopian Olympic marathon team in favour of Sisay Lemma, Kenenisa Bekele and Deresa Geleta. When Lemma withdrew due to injury, Tola was nominated as his replacement.
The hilly Paris course, with over 400 metres of elevation gain, suited Tola’s tactical racing style. He had previously won the 2023 New York Marathon last November in a course record time, (which has a similar marathon course profile to Paris). Tola is also a former world champion over the distance, having won gold at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
Belgium’s Bashir Abdi took silver in 2:06:47, finishing 21 seconds behind Tola to earn his second consecutive Olympic marathon medal. Abdi had previously won bronze at Tokyo 2020. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto claimed bronze, crossing the line in 2:07:00.
Cam Levins was the top Canadian marathon in Paris, finishing in 36th place in 2:11:56. Calgary’s Rory Linkletter was 47th in 2:13:09.
Eliud Kipchoge DNF
Defending Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge did not finish the race, stepping off the marathon course after the 30-kilometer mark. He struggled with the hills between 15 and 20 kilometres, falling eight minutes behind the leaders. This marks his first career marathon DNF. Coming into Paris 2024, Kipchoge had aspirations of becoming the first three-time Olympic marathon champion.
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and ASICS Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
