Ugandan Trio Fails to Medal in the Men’s Marathon

Victor Kiplangant, one of the leading contenders for the Men’s Marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, faced disappointment on Saturday morning as he failed to secure a medal.

Kiplangant, who had previously clinched gold at both the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships in Birmingham and Budapest, was expected to be among the frontrunners in Paris.

The Ugandan runner started the race strong, setting the pace in the early stages, but he eventually fell back and crossed the finish line in 37th place with a time of 2:11:59.

His compatriot, Ronald Kwemoi, finished 62nd with a time of 2:17:28, while Stephen Kissa was unable to complete the race.

Stephen Kiprotich won Gold at the 2012 London Olympics and he still remains the only Ugandan to ever win a medal in Marathon at the Olympics.

In Paris, it wasn’t just the Ugandan athletes who struggled; several other favorites also failed to perform as expected.

Two-time defending Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, who was aiming to become the first athlete to win three Olympic marathons, withdrew from the race with just over 10 kilometers remaining.

The 39-year-old Kenyan’s exit was a major shock, given his dominance in the marathon discipline over the years.

Another legend, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who has won three Olympic gold medals in his illustrious career, also had a disappointing outing, finishing 39th.

The marathon saw a remarkable performance from Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, who won the race in an Olympic record time of 2:06:26, breaking the previous record set by Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru in 2008 by six seconds.

Belgium’s Bashir Abdi finished second with a time of 2:06:47, upgrading his bronze from the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, while Kenya’s Benson Kipruto claimed the bronze in 2:07:00.