Imagine losing out on a world marathon title because you shaved your chest hair the night before.
That might as well have been the case in Tokyo on Monday, where the world marathon gold medal was decided by three hundredths of a second. Yes, you read that right.
After 26.2 miles of slogging, Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania and Germany’s Amanal Petros both crossed the finish line with the same time of 2:09:48.
But Simbu was awarded the top prize by the tiniest of margins after overtaking his opponent on the final straight.
It was the closest finish to a marathon ever, and indeed a cruel one, surpassing the one-second gap between Gezahegne Abera and Simon Biwott in Edmonton in the 2001 championships.
Simbu, 33, could scarcely believe it. ‘When we entered the stadium, I was not sure if I would win,’ he said. ‘I did not know if I had won.
The world championship marathon was decided by the tiniest of margins on Monday in Tokyo
Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania, left, beat Germany’s Amanal Petros by 0.03s to claim gold
Simbu said he had no idea whether he had won until he saw it announced on the screens
‘But when I saw the video screens and me on the top of the results, I felt relieved.
‘I made history today – the first Tanzanian gold medal at a world championships.’
Petros led the race by a couple of strides going round the final corner and was shell-shocked to discover that Simbu’s late surge had toppled him.
‘It’s like the 100 metres,’ he said.
‘Coming into the finish I was thinking about winning so a bit of me is feeling very sad.
‘But I have to accept it. As an athlete you have to learn for tomorrow, train hard, keep going and be thankful for the silver.’
Italian runner Iliass Aouani was not far behind in third as he notched a time of 2:09:53.
Simbu, who was born in Singida, Tanzania, started out from a humble background.
This was the closest finish to a marathon ever, surpassing the previous record of a second
Simbu had been a couple of strides behind going round the final corner but overtook Petros
Aerial angles show just how close the pair were – Petros said he was feeling ‘very sad’
His first coach was one of his primary school teachers but he always believed he would reach the top.
‘I started with a coach who was a primary school teacher.
He told me I’d run well one day. I always heard people say they were going to the World Championships, and I thought to myself: “one day, that will be me.”‘
He has come agonisingly close to glory before. He picked up bronze at the world championships in London in 2017 and came second in this year’s Boston marathon.
Now he gets to stand on the top step of the podium.
