Ethiopian Tamirat Tola delivered a masterclass in solo front running to win the Olympic men's marathon in Paris on Saturday as Eliud Kipchoge's bid for a third gold went up in smoke.

Tola clocked an Olympic record of two hours six minutes and 26 seconds for victory, finishing 21 seconds ahead of Belgium's Bashir Abdi, whose silver marked an upgrade from his bronze garnered at the Covid-hit Tokyo Games three years ago.

Kenya's Benson Kipruto, winner of Tokyo, Boston and Chicago marathons in recent years, rounded out the podium, a further 13 seconds adrift.

"Thank you, Paris!" said Tola, the 2016 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist who will be 33 on Sunday.

"I'm happy today, I was 2022 world champion and now I'm Olympic champion. It's the greatest day in my life. This was my goal."

The national team fielded three long-distance runners in the event, with Wu Xiangdong finishing 40th with a time of two hours, 12 minutes and 34 seconds. Yang Shaohui came in 55th with a time of two hours, 14 minutes and 48 seconds.

China’s third runner, He Jie, needed two hours 22 minutes and 31 seconds to finish the race, finishing 67th.

The 42km-long marathon course headed out of central Paris on a loop to Versailles.
The route included a 436m climb and 438m descent. The maximum gradient on the route was 13.5 percent. (Additional reporting by AFP)