Ethiopian runner Tamirat Tola won the men’s marathon at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, ending Kenya’s dominance in the race. Tola, 32, looked behind him as he approached the line, but he was well ahead and had time to enjoy the applause. Two weeks ago, he signed up for the Olympic marathon to replace his injured teammate Sisay Lemma.

“I was a substitute in the Ethiopian team, but when Sisay got injured, I got my chance,” Tola said. “I was fully prepared and I knew I could achieve my dream. I am very proud, very happy. 

This is Tola’s second Olympic medal, the previous one won in the 10,000 meters at the Rio Games in 2016. “After I left track and field, I really got into marathons,” said Tola, who broke a 12-year-old course record by winning the New York City Marathon last year. It was also a second Olympic medal for Abdi, 35, and the Somali-born athlete went one better than his bronze medal at the Tokyo Games three years ago. Tola also beat Abdi in the marathon in a great race. He beat him at the 2022 world championships, where Abdi finished third. Britain’s Emile Cairess was fourth on Saturday and still had enough energy to finish in a sprint after 42 kilometers under the sun. Two-time defending champion Eliud Kipchoge struggled throughout the competition. He was more than eight minutes behind Tola at mile 30 and did not finish. The last non-Kenyan to win was Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich at the 2012 London Games. Kipchoge, 39, was looking to become the first man to win the race three times. Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won twice in a row in 1960 and 1964, and Waldemar Cierpinski did the same in 1976 and 1980, representing East Germany. Contrary to tradition, the men’s Olympic marathon was not held on the last day and the women will run on Sunday. Starting from the Municipal Administration, the route crossed the parks and forests that followed the road. Despite the scenic view, the somewhat hilly course was advertised as extremely difficult with gradients of up to 13%.

“The descent was the hardest for me,” Abdi said. “I had pain in my knees and back.”

Kipruto saw this as less of a problem, saying: “I did some preparation to know what to expect.” Under a blue sky, runners were able to admire monuments such as the Opéra Garnier and the Louvre museum. Halfway, they pass the royal estate of Château de Versailles, once the residence of the French royal family, before turning through the forest of Meudon towards Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Tola was leading Italian Eyob Faniel and American Conner Mantz at the halfway point, but they were caught by a large group formation. Kipchoge was over a minute behind at that point and lost ground. Tola pulled away and after 35 kilometers was 18 seconds ahead of compatriot Deresa Geleta, who finished fifth. After two hours, the runners approached the monument of Les Invalides, with a golden dome, the place of the tomb of the French emperor Napoleon. Last year, hundreds of disgruntled French farmers marched to the Invalides monument to protest against the authorization of the use of banned pesticides on sugar and other crops. No social tension this time, just loud cheers and warm cheers as each runner crossed the finish line, while the crowd was there to cheer on the stragglers.