Summary
Alphonce Felix Simbu won gold in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in a very close race decided by a photo finish. Simbu's victory marked Tanzania’s first-ever gold at a world championship event. Simbu and German runner Amanal Petros both finished with the same time, but Simbu edged Petros by three hundredths of a second.
Key Facts
- Alphonce Felix Simbu from Tanzania won marathon gold at the World Athletics Championships.
- The race was decided by a photo finish, with Simbu winning by three hundredths of a second.
- Both Simbu and German runner Amanal Petros finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 48 seconds.
- This gold was Tanzania’s first-ever at a world championship.
- Simbu had previously won bronze in the marathon at the 2017 London World Championships.
- The finish was one of the closest in marathon history, even tighter than past close finishes in the Olympics and world championships.
- Italian runner Iliass Aouani finished in third place with a time of 2:09:53.
