Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola produced a solo running masterclass to win the men's Olympic marathon in Paris, while Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge, bidding for an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic crown, failed to finish.
Belgium's Bashir Abdi took silver, improving on his bronze from the Tokyo Games, and Kenya's Benson Kipruto claimed bronze.
Tola built a solid lead early on and crossed the finish line in two hours, six minutes and 26 seconds, an Olympic record that is especially impressive considering the course was the toughest of any Olympics or championships, according to World Athletics.
“My intention was just to keep up with the people who were coming out and then after a while I decided to try to move forward on my own,” Tola said.
“But I was scared and it was hard for me to climb the hill. After kilometer 41 I felt confident. [25th mile]There was just one more. Until then, I looked back and wasn't sure.”
Having emerged from a leading group after the first steep climb of an exceptionally mountainous course, the former cross-country specialist appeared to strengthen on the second hill as the others fell back.
The 32-year-old had an 18-second lead at the 35-kilometer (21.7-mile) mark, which he extended as the Eiffel Tower came into view and the crowds lining the streets cheered him on. He became the first Ethiopian to win the men's Olympic marathon in 24 years.
Tola's victory was made all the sweeter considering he was not initially in the squad, having been called up after Sisay Lemma pulled out due to a hamstring injury.
He crossed the finish line cheered on by Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia's double Olympic champion in the 10,000 metres, whom he has cited as one of his inspirations for becoming a marathon runner.
Abdi and Kipruto were battling with Ethiopian Deresa Geleta for the next two steps of the podium, but Geleta faded in the final 2 km (1.2 miles).
Abdi, who began his career competing in the 5,000m and 10,000m, finished in 2:06:47, while 33-year-old Kipruto clocked 2:07:00.
Kipruto had clocked the world's fastest time this year, having won the Tokyo Marathon in March in a personal best of 2:02:16.
He dedicated his bronze medal to Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car accident in February at the age of 24 after breaking the world marathon record in Chicago last year.
Kipchoge hangs up his shoes
Kipchoge, widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, failed to secure his third consecutive gold, losing on the first climb of the course that took athletes to Versailles.
Kipchoge was hoping for a dream end to his career at age 39, but ended up giving his running shoes to a fan.
The Kenyan superstar, the only man to run under two hours (albeit in an unofficial race), decided enough was enough in Paris and stopped running around the 30km (18.6 mile) mark.
Kipchoge addressed the fans and handed out his shoes, race number and socks to the supporters, receiving an enthusiastic reception.
He then wearily climbed into a waiting van and drove off as the crowd cheered wildly.
Kipchoge was about eight minutes off the pace when he decided to throw in the towel.
For Kipchoge, it was “a tough day at the office.”
“This is my worst marathon. I have never finished a DNF” [did not finish]“That’s life,” he said.
He said he felt pain in his back after covering the 20 km (12 miles).
Kipchoge was non-committal about his future.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me. I’ll think about it in the next three months. I still want to try to run some marathons,” he said.
The women's marathon, which is usually held before the men's, will complete the Olympic athletics programme this time and is scheduled to start on Sunday at 06:00 GMT.
