Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola wins Olympic gold after exclusion from marathon team
Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge faced a tough challenge on the hills, stepping off the course at the 30K mark—his first career marathon DNF
Photo by:
Nick Iwanyshyn
Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola achieved redemption on the streets of Paris, winning the men’s Olympic marathon in a record time of 2:06:26. Tola is the first Ethiopian man to win Olympic gold in the marathon in 24 years.
Tola made his move on the hills between 15 and 20 kilometres, creating a 10-second gap and never looking back. He extended the lead to 20 seconds after the giant hill at 29 km.
This win and Olympic record come just two months after Tola was initially left off the Ethiopian Olympic marathon team in favour of Sisay Lemma, Kenenisa Bekele and Deresa Geleta. When Lemma withdrew due to injury, Tola was named as his replacement.
The hilly Paris course, with more than 400 metres of elevation gain, suited Tola’s tactical racing style. He had previously won the 2023 New York Marathon last November in a course record time (which has a similar marathon course profile to Paris). Tola is also a former world champion over the distance, having won gold at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
Belgium’s Bashir Abdi took silver in 2:06:47, finishing 21 seconds behind Tola to earn his second consecutive Olympic marathon medal. (Abdi won bronze at Tokyo 2020.) Kenya’s Benson Kipruto claimed bronze, crossing the line in 2:07:00.
Cam Levins was the top Canadian marathon in Paris, finishing in 36th place in 2:11:56. Calgary’s Rory Linkletter was 47th, in 2:13:09.
Levins disclosed to Canadian Running that he had a joint issue flare-up in his left ankle the week before the race. “I tried to be conservative, but it gave me some trouble after 30km today,” Levins said about his ankle. “I’m happy with it. I wanted a lot better, but for how I was feeling—I can’t be upset.”
The marathon course was an out-and-back loop to the Palace of Versailles, starting at Hôtel de Ville and finishing in front of the Invalides. The course featured over 400m of elevation gain over the 42.2 km, which led to some of the top marathon runners in the world not finishing.
Linkletter said it felt more like a long cross-country race than a marathon. “I felt like I ran the hills well, but I struggled to get my legs turning over in the last 10K.” This was Linkletter’s first Olympic Games
Eliud Kipchoge DNF
Defending Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge did not finish the race, stepping off the marathon course after the 30K mark. He struggled with the hills between 15 and 20 kilometres, falling eight minutes behind the leaders. This marks his first career marathon DNF. Coming into Paris 2024, Kipchoge had aspirations of becoming the first three-time Olympic marathon champion.
“This is my worst marathon. A tough day in my office,” Kipchoge told reporters. “In all my marathons I have never had a DNF. It is like boxing, you can be in camp for five months and then be knocked down in two seconds. I felt back pain at around 20km. The pain in my lower back made me stop.”
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and ASICS Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
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