Alphonce Felix Simbu has etched his name in athletics history by delivering Tanzania’s first-ever world championship gold medal, snatching a dramatic marathon victory at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
In one of the closest finishes ever seen in marathon history, the 33-year-old Tanzanian edged past Germany’s Amanal Petros in a photo finish that stunned spectators inside Tokyo’s National Stadium. Both athletes clocked 2:09:48 over the grueling 42.195km distance, but Simbu’s last-second surge gave him the edge by just three hundredths of a second.
The breathtaking finish was tighter than the men’s 100m final held earlier in the week and instantly secured its place among the greatest championship races. Italian runner Iliass Aouani crossed the line moments later, taking bronze in 2:09:53.
“When we entered the stadium, I wasn’t sure I would win. I only believed it when I saw my name at the top of the results screen,” Simbu said, overwhelmed with emotion. “Today I made history – the first Tanzanian gold medal at a world championship.”
Simbu’s triumph comes after years of near misses, including his bronze medal in London 2017 and a runner-up finish at the Boston Marathon in April. The Tokyo race crowned him not only Tanzania’s greatest long-distance runner but also a national hero.
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The contest was fiercely unpredictable from the start. Kenya’s Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich false-started, forcing an unusual restart in marathon racing. Two Ethiopian favorites, Tadese Takele and Deresa Geleta, who had dominated the Tokyo city marathon earlier this year, shockingly dropped out with less than 10km to go.
By the final stretch, only Simbu, Petros, and Aouani remained in contention. Petros, who was born in Eritrea but runs for Germany, appeared poised to deliver a historic European victory until Simbu unleashed a finishing sprint reminiscent of a 100m dash.
“It felt like the 100 meters,” Petros admitted after settling for silver. “I thought I had it, but Simbu was stronger at the very end. I feel disappointed, but I am grateful. You always have to learn for tomorrow.”
The drama echoed past legendary finishes, from Ethiopian Gezahegne Abera’s one-second win over Kenyan Simon Biwott in Edmonton 2001 to South African Josia Thugwane’s three-second Olympic victory in Atlanta 1996. But Simbu’s razor-thin victory now sets a new benchmark for marathon drama.
His achievement comes on the same weekend Frenchman Jimmy Gressier broke East Africa’s dominance in the 10,000m, underscoring a shifting era in long-distance running. For Tanzania, however, the Tokyo marathon will be remembered forever as the day Simbu lifted the nation to global glory.
