THE 10K BRONZE medalist 8 years ago in Rio, Tamirat Tola broke away from the pack at the base of the feared “Wall Hill” at 28K and closed fast enough to claim both the gold and an Olympic Record 2:06:26.
“I am happy today,” the 32-year-old Ethiopian beamed, “because I fulfilled my goal. I prepared well. I trained hard so I could win. In my life, this is my great achievement.”
Tola is a proven winner of breakaway races starting with his 2:03:39 PR in Amsterdam in ’21, then his 2:05:36 runaway at the ’22 Worlds, and last year’s 2:04:58 course record in the NYC Marathon. However, an April DNF in London relegated him to alternate status until teammate and race favorite Sisay Lemma sustained an injury.
Both runners are members of coach Gemedu Dedefo’s supergroup. Tola explained, “Sisay told me that it was better for him to drop out. This victory also belongs to him for giving me this opportunity. I was fully prepared and knew I could fulfil my dream.”
Tola dreamed of taming an epic course designed as a running version of the Tour de France with a hilly 16–33K middle section of steep climbs and descents, bracketed by flat running in the city center.
He initially appeared at the front of the chase pack after the first long climb at 18K. Moments later, he charged up the steep second climb, catching front-running Italian Eyob Faniel at the crest and blowing by on the downhill, followed by the never lead-shy Conner Mantz.
Passing halfway in 64:51, Tola was content to fall back into the pack after drawing the contenders out and leaving many quality athletes behind, including Kenenisa Bekele (39th in 2:12:34) and Eliud Kipchoge (en route to his career-first DNF).
At the front, Japan’s Akira Akasaki set a crisp 2:53K pace from 23–28K as the lead pack of 15 runners steadied themselves for the looming Wall Hill.
Tola couldn’t wait, bolting to a 10m lead over a short rise that was a prelude to the much steeper climb. “I had difficulties on the hilly section, so I was afraid at that point,” he said. “My intention was just to keep up with the people who were pushing, but when I caught them, I decided to go on alone.”
He then ran out his fears over the hill’s 14% slopes, extending his lead to over 30m. From the crest at 30K, he made a swift descent, freefalling the steeply-pitched grade to split 8:15 over the next 3K.
In hot pursuit, Tokyo bronze medalist Belgian Bashir Abdi almost careened off the road. “It was very steep,” he said later, “and you don’t have control of your body. I was really afraid of falling.”
Tola deftly protected his lead over the final 9K, maintaining a smooth and steady stride with a few backwards glances. “I only felt confident after the 41st kilometer,” he admitted. “Until then I kept looking back and wasn’t sure.”
Behind him, Abdi mounted an attack at 39.5K (25½M), quickly dropping Ethiopian Deresa Geleta and edging away from formchart favorite Benson Kipruto of Kenya.
Tola injected just enough speed to hold onto the lead and better Sammy Wanjiru’s 2:06:32 Olympic Record by 6 seconds.
After his 61:35 closing half, he exclaimed, “I am very proud, very happy. This is the Olympics and it is not easy to win.”
Abdi moved up one place to add silver in 2:06:47, with Kipruto grabbing bronze in 2:07:00. Great Britain’s Emile Cairess (4th in 2:07:19) blitzed the final 2K to pass Geleta (5th in 2:07:31) and Asaki (6th in a PR 2:07:32). Tebello Ramakongoana crossed 7th in a Lesotho NR 2:07:58.
The American duo of Mantz (8th in 2:08:12) and Clayton Young (9th in 2:08:44) both finished well in their Olympic debuts. Third American Leonard Korir ran 2:18:45 to take 63rd.
MEN’S MARATHON RESULTS
(August 10)
(temperature 63-72F/17-22C; humidity 74-57%)
1. Tamirat Tola (Eth) 2:06:26 (OR)
(15:42, 15:19 [31:01], 15:02 [46:03], 15:40 [61:43], half-64:51, 14:26 [1:16:09], 15:03 [1:31:12], 14:02 [1:45:14], 14:48 [2:00:02], 6:24) (64:51/61:35);
2. Bashir Abdi (Bel) 2:06:47 (65:00/61:47);
3. Benson Kipruto (Ken) 2:07:00 (65:01/61:59);
4. Emile Cairess (GB) 2:07:29 (64:59/62:30);
5. Deresa Geleta (Eth) 2:07:31 (64:58/62:33);
6. Akira Akasaki (Jpn) 2:07:32 PR (64:58/62:34);
7. Tebello Ramakongoana (Les) 2:07:58 NR (65:01/62:57);
8. Conner Mantz (US) 2:08:12 (64:52/63:20);
9. Clayton Young (US) 2:08:44 (64:59/63:45);
10. Samsom Amare (Eri) 2:08:56; 11. Elroy Gelant (SA) 2:09:07; 12. Richard Ringer (Ger) 2:09:18; 13. Suguru Osako (Jpn) 2:09:25; 14. Ibrahim Hassan Bouh (Dji) 2:09:31; 15. Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu (Ger) 2:09:50; 16. Nicolas Navarro (Fra) 2:09:56; 17. Alphonce Felix (Tan) 2:10:03; 18. Othmane El Goumri (Mor) 2:10:06; 19. Isaac Mpofu (Zim) 2:10:09; 20. Hassan Chahdi (Fra) 2:10:09; 21. Alexander Mutiso (Ken) 2:10:31; 22. Michael Somers (Bel) 2:10:32; 23. Naoki Koyama (Jpn) 2:10:33; 24. Patrick Tiernan (Aus) 2:10:34; 25. Yemaneberhan Crippa (Ita) 2:10:36; 26. Maru Teferi (Isr) 2:10:42; 27. Stephen Mokoka (SA) 2:10:59; 28. Suldan Hassan (Swe) 2:11:21; 29. Han Il Ryong (NK) 2:11:21; 30. Matthias Kyburz (Swi) 2:11:32; 31. Gashau Ayale (Isr) 2:11:36; 32. Sondre Nordstad Moen (Nor) 2:11:39; 33. Yaseen Abdalla (Sud) 2:11:41 NR; 34. Ibrahim Chakir (Spa) 2:11:44; 35. Zouhair Talbi (Mor) 2:11:51; 36. Cam Levins (Can) 2:11:56; 37. Victor Kiplangat (Uga) 2:11:59; 38. Tadesse Abraham (Swi) 2:12:22; 39. Kenenisa Bekele (Eth) 2:12:24;
40. Xiangdong Wu (Chn) 2:12:34; 41. Yago Rojo (Spa) 2:12:43; 42. Tachlowini Gabriyesos (Eri) 2:12:47; 43. Eyob Ghebrehiwet Faniel (Ita) 2:12:50; 44. Girmaw Amare (Isr) 2:12:51; 45. Andrew Buchanan (Aus) 2:12:58; 46. Phil Sesemann (GB) 2:13:08; 47. Rory Linkletter (Can) 2:13:09; 48. Samuel Barata (Por) 2:13:23; 49. Liam Adams (Aus) 2:13:33; 50. Félix Bour (Fra) 2:13:46; 51. Daniele Meucci (Ita) 2:14:02; 52. Zerei Mezngi (Nor) 2:14:14; 53. Carlos Díaz (Chl) 2:14:25; 54. Henok Tesfay (Eri) 2:14:31; 55. Shaohui Yang (Chn) 2:14:48; 56. Samuel Freire (CPV) 2:15:05; 57. Mahamed Mahamed (GB) 2:15:19; 58. Khalid Choukoud (Neth) 2:15:25; 59. Hugo Catrileo (Chl) 2:15:44; 60. Héctor Garibay (Bol) 2:15:54; 61. Koen Naert (Bel) 2:16:33; 62. Andrew Rotich Kwemoi (Uga) 2:17:28; 63. Leonard Korir (US) 2:18:45 (67:36/71:09); 64. Berhane Tesfay (Eri) 2:18:50; 65. Moath Al-Khawaldeh (Jor) 2:20:01; 66. Alberto Gonzalez Mindez (Gua) 2:22:12; 67. Jie He (Chn) 2:22:31; 68. Tariku Novales (Spa) 2:25:50; 69. Dario Ivanovski (Mac) 2:28:15; 70. Valentin Betoudji (Cha) 2:32:11; 71. Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mgl) 2:42:33;
… dnf—Eddie Garcia (VI), Christian Pacheco (Per), Kaan Kigen Özbilen (Tur), Stephen Kissa (Uga), Amanal Petros (Ger), Shokhrukh Davlyatov (Uzb), Eliud Kipchoge (Ken), Gabriel Gerald Geay (Tan), Mouhcine Outalha (Mor), Abdi Nageeye (Neth).
(5K leader splits: Kiplangat 15:40; Yang 30:59; Faniel 45:38, 61:32; Tola 64:51; Akasaki 1:16:08; Tola 1:31:12, 1:45:14, 2:00:02)
