FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Report: Men's Marathon - IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019
Lelisa Desisa added a world marathon gold to the silver he won in Moscow
six years ago as he and teammate Mosinet Geremew headed an Ethiopian
one-two on the Corniche in conditions that were significantly more
forgiving than those that had seen a slew of women marathoners pulling out
on the opening day of the championships.
Desisa clocked a season’s best of 2:10:40, with Geremew four seconds back.
Bronze went to Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, who finished in 2:10:51, with
Britain’s Callum Hawkins clocking 2:10:57 to repeat his fourth placing from
the 2017 World Championships marathon in London.
With the temperature at about 29C, and humidity at about 48%, the two
Ethiopians were part of a group that caught up with early breakaway leader
Derlys Ayala of Paraguay just before halfway point and maintained enough
energy to push on to glory in the final kilometre.
They left in their wake Kenya’s Kipruto, who had also been a part of the
long-time leading group, and Hawkins, whose massive mid-race effort brought
him into the lead group of three with only a couple of kilometres to go.
The effort to get there, however, cost the Briton dearly, and he had to
accept his second successive fourth place in this event following the
London running two years ago.
In the interim, Hawkins hit the headlines when he collapsed in the heat of
the Gold Coast when he was only a mile or so away from what looked like a
runaway win at the Commonwealth Games.
On this occasion he maintained his effort to the line, although that seemed
little consolation to him in the immediate aftermath.
So Desisa went one better than he had in 2013, although the action that
earned him most renown that year was his gesture in donating his Boston
Marathon winning medal back to the city in sympathy with the bombing that
took place near the finish line nearly three hours after he had passed it.
"It was hot, but I prepared perfectly for this race," said Desisa, who won
the New York City Marathon last year. "I am very tired. But after I took
silver in Moscow, this time I kept my power better."
Zersenay Tadese, Eritrea’s five-time world half-marathon champion, led the
lead group for much of the second half of the race before dropping to sixth
place in 2:11:29.
One place above him, in 2:11:09, was South Africa’s Stephen Mokoka, who had
also taken the responsibility for the lead for long periods.
Ayala, who had run a personal best of 2:10:27 only two weeks earlier in
Buenos Aires, dropped out very soon after the halfway mark – one of 18 who
failed to finish from the field of 73.
FINAL RESULTS
POS ATHLETE COUNTRY MARK
1 Lelisa DESISA ETHETH 2:10:40
2 Mosinet GEREMEW ETHETH 2:10:44
3 Amos KIPRUTO KENKEN 2:10:51
PREVIOUS MEDALLISTS
COMPETITOR NAT MARK
Geoffrey KIRUI KEN 2:08:27
Tamirat TOLA ETH 2:09:49
Alphonce Felix SIMBU TAN 2:09:51
WORLD RECORDS / CHAMPIONSHIPS RECORDS
COMPETITOR MARK NAT VENUE DATE
Eliud KIPCHOGE 2:01:39 KENKEN Berlin (GER) 16 SEP 2018
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