"One of the most dramatic finales in marathon history ended with one athlete at these Tokyo World Championships diving for the line, another unsure of the result, and Seiko's photo-finish machine being called into emergency action. And after 26.2 miles, and more than two hours of sweat and brutal toil, the print confirmed that Tanzania's Alphonce Simbu had pipped Germany's Amanal Petros in a sprint finish."
"I told myself, I was not going to give up, said Simbu, who finished in two hours nine minutes and 48 seconds, the same time as Petros. When we entered the stadium, I was not sure if I would win. I did not know if I won. But when I saw the video screens and me on the top of the results, I felt relieved."
"I have never seen something like this in a marathon, he said. It's like the 100 metres. 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."
Tanzania's Alphonce Simbu narrowly won the men's marathon at the Tokyo World Championships after a photo-finish determined victory by 0.03 seconds over Germany's Amanal Petros. Both athletes recorded identical times of two hours nine minutes and 48 seconds, with Simbu diving for the line and the Seiko photo-finish machine required to confirm the result. Petros surged into the home straight but lost in the final sprint and accepted silver. Italy's Iliass Aouani took bronze five seconds back. Britain's Emile Cairess withdrew with two miles remaining after suffering in the heat, among 22 starters. The margin was tighter than both 100m finals and followed the women's race decided by a 0.2-second sprint.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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