Agency :
Ethiopian Tamirat Tola delivered a masterclass in solo front running to win the Olympic men’s marathon in Paris on Saturday as Eliud Kipchoge’s bid for a third gold went up in smoke.
Tola clocked an Olympic record of 2hr 06min 26sec for victory, finishing 21 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Bashir Abdi, whose silver marked an upgrade from his bronze garnered at the Covid-hit Tokyo Games three years ago.
Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, winner of Tokyo, Boston and Chicago marathons in recent years, rounded out the podium, a further 13sec adrift.
“Thank you, Paris!” said Tola, the 2016 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist who will be 33 on Sunday.
“I’m happy today, I was 2022 world champion and now I’m Olympic champion.
“It’s the greatest day in my life. This was my goal.”