Tamirat Tola Shatters Marathon Record with Stunning Victory; Emile Cairess Finishes Fourth

Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola delivered a commanding performance in the men's marathon at the Paris Olympics, clinching gold with an Olympic record time of 2 hours 6 minutes 26 seconds. Tola's remarkable run broke the previous record, set by Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru in 2008, by six seconds.

Belgium's Bashir Abdi secured silver with a time of 2:06:47, improving on his bronze from the Tokyo 2020 Games. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto rounded out the podium with a third-place finish in 2:07:00.

Team GB's Emile Cairess finished fourth with a time of 2:07:29. Cairess had been in second place at the 30km mark but fell back to sixth before rallying to overtake two competitors. Reflecting on his race, Cairess said, "It was a good race. I tried to pace myself, be sensible, keep myself cool and just try to finish well. I just didn't want to leave anything on the course, give 100% to the race and have no regrets."

There was disappointment for Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who failed to complete the race. The 39-year-old was attempting to become the first athlete to win three Olympic marathons but withdrew with just over 10km remaining after struggling towards the back of the field.

Cairess' British team-mates Phil Sesemann and Mahamed Mahamed finished 46th and 57th, respectively.

Tola, the 2022 World Champion, only entered the marathon event two weeks prior due to an injury to his Ethiopian team-mate Sisay Lemma. The 32-year-old surged into the lead at the halfway mark and extended his advantage, crossing the finish line with the Eiffel Tower in view.

"I am happy because I fulfilled my goal. I prepared well. I trained hard so I could win. In my life, this is my great achievement," Tola said. "I was the reserve in the Ethiopian team but when Sisay [Lemma] had injuries, I had a chance to represent him. I was fully prepared and knew I could fulfil my dream. I am happy to do that today."