Shura Kitata Tola set a time of 2:05.35 to clinch the world title in the marathon event and set a new record at the Worlds this Sunday in Eugene.
Ethiopian Tamirat Tola won the marathon at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday in Eugene in 2:05:37, ahead of his compatriot Mosinet Geremew and Belgian Bashir Abdi. Vice-world champion in 2017 in London, Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000m in 2016 in Rio, this is the first major title for this 30-year-old athlete, won in the absence of the boss of the discipline, the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.
With perfect conditions, and on a course that used the training routes of local legend Steve Prefontaine, Tola beat Geremew, already vice-world champion in 2019, by 1 min 09 sec and Abdi, the bronze medalist of the Tokyo Games, 1 min 13 sec. After a collective acceleration at the 30th kilometer, the Ethiopian isolated himself with a violent attack at the 33rd kilometer, without ever failing afterwards. Present in the leading group until the 30th kilometer, Hassan Chahdi, the only Frenchman entered, finished 17th in 2 h 09 min 21 sec.