Ethiopian runner, Tamirat Tola, ran a well-calculated race to win the men’s marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships staged in Oregon, United States.
The 30-year-old who bagged a silver medal during the 2017 edition held in London, England reached the finishing line in 2:05:36, breaking the championship record of 2:06.54 set by Kenya’s Abel Kirui in 2009.
Tola’s compatriot, Mosinet Geremew, finished second in 2:06.45 ahead of Belgium’s Bashir Abdi.
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The race started at a high pace with the Ethiopians exchanging leads from time-to-time.
Ethiopian-born Bahrain international, Shumi Dechasa, who took command of the race for a few minutes, crossed the 30km mark in 1:39.09. He was closely followed by a group of athletes that included Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor and the several runners with Ethiopian roots.
Tola broke away from the leading part at the 35km mark and never looked back. His time of 1:45.21 was 17 seconds faster than Kamworor. With a few kilometers to go, Tola turned the screw.
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The one-time Olympic Games silver medalists opened a 200m gap with two kilometers remaining, and went on to win the race, ensuring Ethiopia defends its marathon title.
Kamworor came a distant 5th despite showing a lot of promise earlier on. The three times World Half Marathon champion has had a lot of struggles prior to international athletic events.
A few years ago, the Kaptagat-based runner suffered a nasty injury near his home. The 2019 New York City marathon winner also missed the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games due to an ankle injury.