Tamirat Tola opens up on Olympic marathon gold
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 21.12.24. | 11:05
In Paris Tola became the fourth Ethiopian to win the Olympic marathon title after Abebe Bikila in 1960 and 1964, Mamo Wolde in 1968, and Gezahegne Abera in 2000.
Tamirat Tola, with an extraordinary performance in the men's marathon, earned Ethiopia’s only gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
On a uniquely testing course, and in grueling conditions, he won gold in an Olympic record of 2:06:26 – a performance that was all the more remarkable for the fact that he had only been called into the team with two weeks’ notice as a replacement for his injured compatriot Sisay Lemma.
The 33-year-old, who earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016, thus added a second global marathon title to his collection after his victory at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
“It was a very difficult course in Paris. But the only thought in my mind was that I could not lose. Our country had won no gold medals on the track, and the marathon races were the last chance for us, so I needed to make the most of my talent,” he tells World Athletics.
Many athletes found the steep hills and long descents of the Paris course the toughest they had faced, particularly around the 28km mark and it was no different for Tola who admits the course was hardest from 27 to 30 kilometers, and breaking the Olympic record was not in his plans.
Male Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year Winner 🏆
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) December 1, 2024
🇪🇹's Tamirat Tola is your Male Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year 🤩#AthleticsAwards pic.twitter.com/m9Dbox8Qpx
“My coach had told me that this was a very difficult course, so when I arrived in Paris I thought about how I could run my best on this course. I used this challenge as motivation, and thankfully I overcame it. In athletics, challenges are part of the sport. And we always have to do the best for our country,” he continued.
With only two weeks to prepare, Tola says it was not difficult to get in the right space for the competition. “For three months, Kenenisa, Lemma, Deresa and I prepared for the national team. At that time my coach had just encouraged me to prepare with them, and if not needed for Paris, aim for the New York City marathon.
When I got to Paris, I was thinking about how I could challenge (Eliud) Kipchoge and other athletes. I knew the main contenders. There were lots of talented athletes. But I reminded myself that I had worked hard. And when I got in front in the final kilometers, I knew I could win,” he further offered.
By World Athletics
