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One of the most dramatic finales in marathon history ended with one athlete at these Tokyo World Athletics Championships diving for the line, another unsure of the result, and Seiko’s photo-finish machine being called into emergency action.
And after 26.2 miles, and more than two hours of sweat and brutal toil, the print confirmed that Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu had pipped Germany’s Amanal Petros in a sprint finish.
Incredibly the gap between the two men – 0.03sec – was tighter than both the men’s and women’s 100m finals. It also marked the second straight day a marathon was decided with an all-out sprint to the line after Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s race from Tigst Assefa by two seconds.
“I told myself, I was not going to give up,” said Simbu, who finished in 2:09:48, the same time as Petros. “When we entered the stadium, I was not sure if I would win. I did not know if I won. But when I saw the video screens and me on the top of the results, I felt relieved.”
Petros, who appeared poised for victory as he surged ahead entering the home straight, was magnanimous in defeat. “I have never seen something like this in a marathon,” he said. “It’s like the 100 metres. Coming into the finish I was thinking about winning so a bit of me is feeling very sad. But I have to accept it. As an athlete you have to learn for tomorrow, train hard, keep going and be thankful for the silver.”
Afterwards Petros dedicated his medal to his mother. “I grew up in Eritrea and haven’t seen my mum now for more than eight years, which is not easy,” he said. “It is night there now but when she wakes she will be very, very proud.”
Italy’s Iliass Aouani took the bronze five seconds back, but Britain’s Emile Cairess, who was said to be flying in training beforehand, pulled out with two miles to go after suffering in the heat.
“I tried my best,” said Cairess, who was one of 22 from 88 starters who failed to finish. “I feel I just got too hot, simple as that really, conditions were so tough, it’s just really hot. When I stopped, I just took ages to just feel all right again, I’ve cooled down now but it took a while.”
