The two races, which could go down in history as the most competitive in the 128-year marathon history, will see some of Africa’s leading distance runners, deemed favourites in this category, seek to bag the majority of the medals at stake.

According to World Athletics CEO, Jon Ridgeon, “The marathon is one of the highlight events at the Olympics.”

“If (top Kenyan) Eliud Kipchoge wins a third gold it would be history making.”

Ridgeon, who is one of Great Britain’s finest hurdlers with a clutch of global championship medals in his collection, is clearly excited about the weekend’s road races.

“Beyond that, the marathon course here in Paris is the toughest there has ever been in a major championship marathon. And we believe that makes it the most interesting of tactical races. And for the athletes, it also makes it more unpredictable – no one can say who will win. The marathons are going to be fascinating and likely standout events in Paris,” he added.

The challenging route that has everyone talking is the substantial hill climbs from 15km on the approach to the Palace of Versailles, with a second sharp hill coming deeper into the race, at around 28km. The two will have a significant impact on the outcome of the two marathons.

While the respective podiums are not expected to resemble those of the six Marathon Majors, which generally aim for flat and fast, the Paris Marathons will provide opportunities for more diversity in the assessment of marathon talent.

Notably, for the first time ever in Olympic history there is a mass participation marathon in parallel with the games.

“We are delighted that we have two amazing races over challenging course but also that it offers Parisians to come out and run it as well.”

The mass race, which takes place at night between the two championship events, demonstrates the spirit and effectiveness of French organising committee.

The Paris Olympic Games has seen packed stadiums across almost all sporting codes, with locals investing heavily for the opportunity to watch the world’s best in action.

Connoisseurs are already talking about the “best ever” in Olympiad history.

Importantly, the different sporting codes have highlighted the inclusivity and universality aspects of the games, one of the greatest shows on earth.

While not without controversy, the fact that Israelis can compete one-on-one against Palestinians, embracing all the virtues associated with the spirit of Olympism, and Ukrainians can compete against Russian athletes (albeit not under the Russian flag) underscores the spirit of the games.

“The world is fractured and divided at the moment,” said the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, at a press conference during the launch of the Olympics athletics programme.

“But I believe people want to come here to watch jaw-dropping quality sport and to see the God-given talent of the most exceptional athletes we have had in any generation,” Coe recognised.

“There are 211 member federations here in Paris – more than all member of the United Nations, and we were delighted that no fewer than eighty nations achieved a top eight finish in an event in Tokyo. And as of Tokyo, we now have a hundred countries that have now won medals at an Olympic Games and the sport of athletics is becoming increasingly more universal.”

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The year was 1960, and Bikila’s win signalled the start of African domination in the sport that has increased and set a marker which many of his compatriots were to follow over the next six decades.

At 28, Bikila became the second African to win Olympic marathon gold, following South African Ken McArthur’s 1912 victory, and the first to defend his title with a 2:12:11 win in Tokyo four years later.

Olympic success boosted Bikila’s military career in the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, earning him promotions: to corporal after his 1960 triumph, lieutenant after his Tokyo victory and captain despite dropping out 16km into the 1968 Olympic Marathon in Mexico City because of a stress fracture.

After Bikila’s reign ended, Ethiopia continued to excel. His teammate Mamo Wolde won in Mexico City, Gezahegne Abera triumphed in Sydney in 2000 and Fatuma Roba and Tiki Gelana claimed victories in the women’s competition in Atlanta 1996 and London 2012, respectively, flying the Ethiopian flag high.

Despite more than a decade passing since Ethiopia’s last Olympic Marathon victory, with its abundant distance-running talent and the impressive credentials of the current marathon team, podium glory is overdue.

Today, Kenenisa Bekele is possibly the most successful and decorated distance runner on the planet. At 42, he is still at the peak of his career and seeking to add Olympic success in the marathon to the many medals he won at the highest level on the track.

Switching to the women and at the opposite end of the experience spectrum, former 400m and 800m track star Tigist Assefa, 27, has run only three marathons, all of them faster than 2:17 and one at 2:11:53 — faster than any other woman in history.

The pair will undoubtedly contend for line honours in the most competitive races in Olympic marathon history, but apart from threats from other nations, notably neighbouring Kenya, they could be challenged and possibly surpassed by their impressive teammates.

The three-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion, Bekele, will line up on the start line in Paris with reigning Boston Marathon champion and fastest qualifier in the field, Sisay Lemma, and winner of the 2024 Seville Marathon, Deresa Geleta.

Bekele may not have emulated his track and cross-country success (where he bagged 19 global titles) on the road, but only world record holder, the late Kelvin Kiptum (2:00:35) and Eliud Kipchoge (2:01:09) have ever run faster than Bekele’s 2019 Berlin Marathon winning time of 2:01:41.

An outsider for the Ethiopian team after his fourth place at Valencia in December, Bekele kicked the selection door wide open with a competitive run in London in April, where he finished second, just 14 seconds behind the winner, Kenyan Alexander Munyao. That earned his place on the team and set up a fascinating head-to-head duel with Kipchoge.

A day after the men’s race and on the last day of the 2024 Olympics, world record holder Assefa will go to the start line of the women’s marathon alongside teammates Amane Beriso, 32, who won the world marathon title in Budapest last year, and Megertu Alemu, 26, fourth in London this year and second in the year before.

Assefa proved her Berlin triumph was no flash in the pan, with an impressive race at London in April, when she finished second, just seven seconds behind Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, whose 2:16:16 set a world-record for women’s only marathons. The third Ethiopian in the Paris team, Alemu, finished fourth in that race, just 18 seconds off the lead in the closest finish in the race’s history.

If the strength of a nation’s marathon team can be judged by those left out as opposed to those selected, Ethiopia will be hard to beat. 

The 2023 New York marathon champion and gold medallist at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, Tamirat Tola, and 2024 Boston Marathon runner-up Mohamed Esa, were named as reserves on the men’s team, while Gotytom Gebreslase, winner and runner-up at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships respectively, Buze Diriba, fourth at Boston in April, and Sutume Asefe, winner at Tokyo this year, could only make the women’s squad as official reserves.

Haji Adilo, named as one of the two coaches on the Ethiopian marathon team, believes that all the athletes are in really good shape in their final training weeks at a base in Addis Ababa.

“We have adapted the athletes’ training according to the course and conditions in Paris,” Adilo said. “We’ve not changed the whole system of training, but rather changed some specific parts because of the course and conditions in Paris.”

Speaking about the women’s team, Adilo underplayed its strength. “Amane [Beriso] is our most experienced athlete in the women’s team. It’s difficult to say if she will podium or not as it’s a very strong field. The Kenyans will be tough to beat.

“The Paris course will not be easy — it’s a big challenge. In a championship race, it’s not just about the talent of the athlete [on easier courses] — this one is very challenging and anything could happen.”

— bird story agency