Alphonce Felix Simbu made history on Monday, 15 September by becoming the first athlete from Tanzania to secure a global title, winning gold in the men’s marathon at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
He accomplished this remarkable feat with the narrowest winning margin ever recorded in a global championships marathon, having outpaced Germany’s Amanol Petros in the final moments to finish a mere 0.03 seconds ahead.
As one of only two athletes representing Tanzania at the World Championships, Simbu consistently remained in contention. He surged forward in the last 30 metres, and with this victory, he transformed the world bronze medal he earned in 2017 into gold.
“Today means celebrations in Tanzania,” he told World Athletics. “We have written a new history as a country. It was my dream. I am at peace. It is about discipline, training, and never giving up.
“After 2017, I have been trying to win another medal but failed at it. Last year, Paris was a challenge, and this year I told myself: I will try my best. I did different types of training under different weather conditions.”
Simbu and Petros were both recorded with identical times: 2:09:48 in the hot and humid conditions of Tokyo, crossing the finish line simultaneously and necessitating a tense photo finish to ascertain the winner of the esteemed race.
As reported by ESPN, Petros had maintained a slight lead with 50 meters remaining, but Simbu discovered an extra gear as the duo raced down the final stretch of Japan National Stadium. The 33-year-old surged ahead in the last moment to secure victory in the closest marathon in world championship history, thus becoming the first Tanzanian to claim gold at the championships.
The margin of 0.03 seconds between Simbu and Petros was narrower than that of either of the 100m finals — which were won by Oblique Seville and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, respectively — on the second night in Tokyo. Following Petros in second place was Iliass Aouani from Italy, who secured the bronze medal with a time of 2:09:53.
The victory marks yet another remarkable achievement for Simbu, who was also the runner-up at the Boston Marathon in April.