Marathon legend Kipchoge is facing Olympic debacle
In an elite marathon field, three Germans are competing, but their best is not at full strength. On the challenging course, a former world champion from Ethiopia is clearly the strongest, but the veterans are struggling. Especially Eliud Kipchoge is experiencing terrible moments.
Ethiopian Tamirat Tola won the spectacular and demanding Olympic marathon in Paris. The former world champion completed the 42.195 kilometers with nearly 500 meters of elevation gain in 2:06:26, triumphing with a 21-second lead over the late-charging veteran Bashir Abdi from Belgium (2:06:47), who won bronze at the Tokyo Games three years ago, and Kenyan Benson Kipruto (2:07:00).
The historic triple mission of the 39-year-old two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge failed early. The Kenyan had to drop out after about halfway through the race due to side stitches and had to walk one of the numerous climbs that thousands of spectators lined up for a goosebump atmosphere.
Tola used one of the tricky sections of the course, which led out of the city southwest towards the palace of Versailles and back into the French capital, for a decisive attack. The climb at which he attacked had up to 16 percent gradient. Around 15 kilometers from the finish, no one could keep up. The German trio was clearly out of medal contention. Best was Richard Ringer in 12th place in 2:09:18, Samuel Fitwi (2:09:50) from Trier finished 15th. German record holder Amanal Petros was still weakened by the effects of a COVID-19 infection and had a large deficit early on.
Beyond the hills to Versailles
The runners were sent on their spectacular journey by Ethiopia's idol Haile Gebrselassie, who was once the world record holder in the marathon. The extreme course initially passed many sights, went over hills to the palace of Versailles, and then back into the city center of Paris. The pace in the sun and pleasant temperatures was initially moderate. Many fans followed the race along the course after the 8:00 a.m. start. Initially, the Italian Eyob Faniel broke away and was 20 seconds ahead of the field at the start of the first long climb after 15 kilometers.
When Tola increased the pace and caught Faniel, the large group broke apart. Petros was already lagging behind due to his health issues when it started to get warm. As Ringer also fell back, Fitwi worked his way back into the leading group of around a dozen runners in Versailles. At the steep climb before kilometer 30, Tola sought the decision, and Fitwi, like the others, could not keep up. Ringer then passed on the final kilometers.
Tamirat Tola celebrated his victory in the Olympic marathon held in Paris, finishing the race in 2:06:26 with a substantial lead over his competitors. Despite struggling German veterans and the dominant performance of an Ethiopian former world champion, Tola outperformed everyone, including the likes of Eliud Kipchoge, who had to withdraw due to side stitches.
