Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia dominated the men’s marathon competition at the World Championships on Sunday, breaking the course record with a time of 2 hours, 05.37 minutes after powerfully pulling ahead at the 34-kilometer mark.
The 2017 silver medalist fractured the pack with a steady acceleration, and by 39 kilometers, he was safely 46 seconds ahead.
He proceeded to press all the way home, taking advantage of the relatively chilly conditions made possible by the 6.15 am local start time.
With his second consecutive silver in 2:06.44, Mosinet Geremew gave Ethiopia its second consecutive 1-2 finish at the World Championship.
Bashir Abdi, a Belgian who was born in Somalia, finished in 2:06.48 to match his Olympic bronze medal time and win his nation’s first medal in either the men’s or women’s competition.
Abel Kirui’s 2003 championship record of 2:06.54 in Paris was broken by all three men, albeit course differences make it difficult to compare championship marathon times.
