•Tola led compatriot Mosinet Geremew who bagged silver in 2:06:45 with Belgium's Bashir Abdi settling for bronze in 2:06:49.
•Team Kenya was dealt a major blow after Lawrence Cherono was provisionally suspended for an anti-doping rule violation.
Image: FILE
Two-time New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor fizzled out into a disappointing fifth as Team Kenya failed to make the podium in the men's marathon at Oregon22 in Eugene on Sunday.
After holding off a stiff challenge earlier in the race, Kamworor ran out of steam and faded badly in the last five kilometres to finish a distant fifth in 2:07:15, behind Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola who registered 2:05:36 on his way to the landmark victory.
Tola won the men's marathon at the world championships in dominant fashion, forging clear around 34km and coming home solo to take gold in a championship record two hours, 05.37 minutes.
Tola led compatriot Mosinet Geremew who bagged silver in 2:06:45 with Belgium's Bashir Abdi settling for bronze in 2:06:49.
Tola was in the leading pack alongside Kamworor, Abdi and Geremew but stepped on the gas pedal with 10 kilometres left to run for, steering clear on his way to bagging Ethiopia's second gold medal of the championship.
Tola's stunning time – a World Championship best –surpassed the prior record of 2:06:54 set by Kenyan Abel Kirui in 2009.
His feat makes him the eighth marathoner with two medals at the annual global event, having won a silver in 2017.
Tola’s teammate, Mosinet Geremew, won his second consecutive silver in the event, effectively becoming the ninth marathoner to win two World Championship medals.
This was the fifth time a nation won gold/silver in the men’s marathon, including 2019 when Ethiopia also did it.
Geremew’s second-place time of 2:06:54 was the best mark-for-place at the World Championships. Best marks-for-place at the Worlds was actually set for places 2-12, and most likely much deeper down the list.
Bashir Abdi won bronze, the best finish for Belgium in this event, after the sixth-place finish by Armand Parmentier in 1983. At 33-157, he also becomes the 7th oldest medalist in the world championships marathon.
Cameron Levins of Canada finished fourth, the best finish ever for Canada in this event, after Peter Maher finished 10th in 1993.
Mongolian Ser-Od Bat-Ochir ran in his 10th World Championship marathon (2003-2022). He already had the record with 9 appearances in the race.
Team Kenya was dealt a major blow after Lawrence Cherono was provisionally suspended for an anti-doping rule violation.
Cherono, 33, had been listed to represent the country in the marathon race.
However, all his hopes and dreams have been shattered after investigations conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) unearthed the presence of Trimetazidine in his sample.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) studied the sample in its Lausanne-based laboratory after receiving it on May 27 before returning the findings to AIU on July 13.
Trimetazidine helps to metabolize fatty acids in the body. It also allows for more blood flow to the heart and limits quick changes in blood pressure. This can help lessen chest pain from blocked blood vessels.
“Trimetazidine is a non-specified substance, and a provisional suspension is mandatory following an adverse analytical finding for such a substance under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules unless certain conditions apply,” AIU said.
Cherono rose to the limelight after clinching the Valencia Marathon’s men’s elite race on December 5, 2021. He won the race in two hours, five minutes, and 12 seconds. He had wrapped up in the second position in the preceding year.