[ad_1]
PARIS – Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola produced a brave performance to claim gold in an Olympic record time in the gruelling men’s marathon on Saturday, while two-time champion Eliud Kipchoge withdrew from the race with a back injury.
In a competition packed with talent, Kipchoge was expected to struggle to defend his title. Ethiopian marathon legend Haile Gebrselassie opened the race, but instead of welcoming Kipchoge at the finish line, he was there to congratulate his compatriot Tola, who inspired him to take up the sport when he was 19.
“I am happy today because I achieved my goal. I prepared well and trained hard so that I could win. This is my greatest achievement in my life,” said Tola.
Tola, 32, finished the race in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 26 seconds, breaking his previous Olympic record set at the 2008 Beijing Games, and it was made even more impressive by the fact that he came on as a substitute two weeks ago after teammate Sisay Lima was injured.
“Sesay told me it would be better for him to withdraw and for me to compete. He said, ‘You can do better than me in my condition.’ And this win is also thanks to him for giving me this opportunity,” Tola said.
Belgian Bashir Abdi won the silver medal, and Kenyan Benson Kipruto won the bronze medal.
Tula put in a strong performance as they were able to take a clear lead before the halfway point of the match and never let up.
His only previous Olympic medal was a bronze in the men’s 10,000m at Rio 2016. This is also his second major marathon victory after winning the New York City Marathon last year.
The marathon route started outside the Hôtel de Ville, the Paris City Hall, and passed landmarks such as the Palais Garnier, Place Vendôme, the Louvre, the Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles. The route ended with a scenic straight in the shadow of the 17th-century Esplanade des Invalides hospital.
At times, the run resembled the Tour de France, with several steep climbs on a very hilly course that has been described as one of the toughest in Olympic history. The first climb was at the 10-mile mark. The second climb a few miles later was equally impressive, but the hill at the 18-mile mark was the toughest, with a 13.5% gradient at one point.
Kipchoge was one of the most notable runners to have faced adversity. He is one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, but he endured a tough race that left him nearly a minute behind the leaders at the halfway point, and he was forced to walk down the hill at mile 18.
He withdrew from the race shortly after.
“Today was tough in the office,” Kipchoge said. “You can train for a very long time, but one day, it can happen. It’s like boxing. You can go to a training camp for five months and then pass out in two seconds. But life goes on.”
“This is my worst marathon. I’ve never failed to finish. That’s life. Like a boxer, I got knocked out, I won, I came in second, eighth, tenth, fifth – and now I haven’t finished. That’s life.”
Kipchoge added that the hills did not affect him, and that it was the pain he felt in his back after 12 miles that finally forced him to stop.
Asked if this was his last marathon, Kipchoge said: “I don’t want to comment on what will happen tomorrow. I want to try to improve. If I don’t improve, I will do other things.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me. I’ll think about it over the next three months. I still want to try to run some marathons.”
The result comes after one of the most difficult years of Kipchoge’s career, after he was subjected to significant online abuse following the death of compatriot Kelvin Kiptum. Kipchoge had suffered from insomnia for some time, which led to him finishing 10th in the Tokyo Marathon in March – his worst result as a professional.
[ad_2]
