DPA
Paris
Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola won the Paris Olympic men’s marathon on Saturday, the biggest success of his career so far, but Eliud Kipchoge’s dream of a third straight Games title ended meekly as he pulled out when last.
Tola, the 2022 world champion, navigated the streets of the city in 2 hours 06.26 minutes ahead of Belgium’s Bashir Abdi and Kenyan Tokyo 2024 marathon winner Benson Kipruto.
Spectators packed the route from the city hall, through Versailles and finishing at Les Invalides. The previous Olympic highlight for Tola, 33 on Sunday, was bronze in 2016 in the 10,000 metres. His time in Paris was an Olympic record, although each course is different.
“I am happy today because I fulfilled my goal. I prepared well. I trained hard so I could win. In my life, this is my great achievement,” said Tola, who was a late call-up to the Ethiopian team.
“This is the Olympics and it is not easy to win the Olympic Games, not at all. I am very proud, very happy.”
Kipchoge woe Kenya’s Kipchoge, meanwhile, could be facing retirement at the age of 39 after his recent marathon struggles continued.
He was 10th at the Tokyo marathon in March - his lowest ever marathon finish - but Paris proved to be even worse as he managed around 30 kilometres before pulling out while 77th and last. He had a clear hip problem.
It was a sorry return to the French capital for the Rio 2016 and Tokyo Olympic champion, who first burst onto the scene when winning the 5,000m at the Paris world championships in 2003.
Kipchoge won the fifth of his Berlin marathons as recently as last September but sportswear firms backing him to beat the 2-hour barrier now could be over, with his storied career in the balance.
Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele was also only 39th, almost 6 minutes behind the winner, while Ugandan 2023 world champion Victor Kiplangat also struggled on a testing course with several inclines and finished 37th. Temperatures hit 21 degrees Celsius.
Bekele praises young generation The 42-year-old Bekele, who had hamstring problems, said: “It was a tough course, very hilly in places. If you are not really fit for this course, then it will be very rough.
“People have been talking about me and Kipchoge, but you see it was the young generation today. These guys are stronger than us. These days there are many younger and stronger athletes, so it was tough to challenge them.”
Kenya’s world record holder Kelvin Kiptum died in a car crash in February. The women’s race is on Sunday.
