Road to Paris: Marathon contenders from Tanzania, Uganda, and Lesotho aim to upset legendary Ethiopians and Kenyans

With the countdown to the Paris Olympics entering its final stretch, most attention in the marathon event remains focused on the formidable marathon talents of Kenyan, Ethiopian, and South African runners. However, athletes from other African nations could have a significant impact in Paris.

Tanzania is gearing up to challenge its northern rivals with hopes pinned on its leading marathoners. Gabriel Geay clocked an impressive 2:03:00 in Valencia in 2022, and Magdalena Shauri ran 2:18:41 in Berlin in 2023. The duo head the list of Africa’s top marathon contenders outside the world-leading Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes.

Two other Tanzanian qualifiers have the ability to mix it with the top runners, with 2:05:39 marathoner, Alphonce Felix Simbu a contender in the men’s competition and 2:21:27 athlete Jackline Sakilu in the women’s.

Moroccan Othmane El Goumri (2:05:12) and Eritrean Okubay Tsegay(2:05:20) are also on the men’s list, while Uganda’s Stella Chesang (2:20:23) and Eritrean Dolshi Tesfu Eritrea (2:20:40) are on the women’s list.

Chesang has previously experienced success over more favoured Kenyan rivals and the 27-year-old will be hoping for more of the same at the climax of the Games.

The women’s marathon will for the first time conclude the athletics section of the Games.

Relatively inexperienced in the marathon, Chesang has excelled over shorter distances and used her speed to good effect when she raced to a career-best 30:40 in winning the 2022 Absa RUN YOUR CITY Cape Town 10k.

On that occasion, Chesang found herself up against celebrity status in the form of Ethiopian multi-world record holder and former IAAF athlete of the year, Genzebe Dibaba.

“I discovered Genzebe was racing at Cape Town when I saw her on the airport bus on our arrival. I was very excited,” Chesang related. “We chatted a bit on the bus – I think I was a bit star-struck! But running with her was an inspiration – it made me stronger, and I found myself running faster than ever before,” she explained.

Chesang had placed second to Kenyan Jackline Chepng’eno in her first RYC Cape Town as a 21 year old in 2018, and was runner-up again in 2019 – this time to Kenyan Brillian Kipkoech.

Chesang then took extended ‘running maternity leave’ to give birth to her son. The 2022 Cape Town 10km was her first race in almost three years, and she found running with Dibaba gave lifted her to new heights.

“I was surprised at my time today,” Chesang admitted. “I didn’t think I would be able to run sub 31 minutes, so I’m really happy. “

“When I think about my boy, I work extra hard and run better! When we started the race, I told myself I have to be strong and not be intimidated by Genzebe. When you are running with a champion you feel good and you can’t get tired!”

It was Chesang’s day and she went on to take line honours in one of the finest wins of her career.

Chesang hails from the east Ugandan district of Kween where her parents and eight siblings are based. Her move to the marathon last year saw her immediately make her mark with a 2:20:23 debut, finishing third at the Hamburg Marathon, before running 4th in 2:23:36 at the Osaka Marathon earlier this year.

She now lives with Kenyan athletes at their high-altitude camp in Iten.

“I train with the top Kenyans and that gives me a lot of motivation. Beating them is just a matter of training harder to be able to run like them!”

Chesang heads a strong Ugandan trio in the women’s marathon and will be strongly supported by 2022 World Mountain Running champion, Rebecca Chepegei and 2:24:12 marathoner Mercyline Chelangat.

Victor Kiplangat (2:06:03) and Stephen Kissa (2:06:22) were runners-up in the 2023 and 2024 Osaka Marathon respectively and will spearhead Uganda’s challenge in the men’s race.

If coach confidence is a yardstick, 27-year-old Lesotho athlete Tebello Ramakongoana will be challenging strongly for a podium position in Paris.

“I know there are favorites for the marathon – big name athletes that the world cheers on. But these athletes aren’t Tebello,” said Ramakongoana’s American coach, James McKirdy.

“The Paris Olympic Marathon is going to be the hardest marathon that any of those competing have ever run. It’s going to take more than ‘time trial’ fitness to medal in this race, because quite frankly this race is going to eat ‘time-trialers’ alive!

“Athletes have qualifed by running fast times, but those times don’t matter – they are simply your free entry into suffering,” McKirdy continued. “And I don’t know any athletes who can suffer like Tebello!”

McKirdy believes his charge, who beat the Olympic qualification mark by just one second in running his personal best of 2:08:09 in Osaka this year, is capable of a Beamonesque performance in Paris.

“Our mission is to give an Olympic effort – to do something that only few have done before. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, none of the competing athletes had ever jumped over 8.33 meters. On his first jump in the final Bob Beamon jumped 8.90m for a new world record.”

Last year Ramakongoana sprung a surprise by finishing fourth in the World Marathon Championships in Budapest, just a minute behind the gold medal time. According to McKirdy, Ramakongoana has significantly improved since then, having enjoyed quality preparation for several months at his American base.

“He’s been staying with my team in Flagstaff, Arizona,” McKirdy explained. “We have a great squad of athletes, including several Olympians. Flagstaff offers ideal altitude training opportunities at 2200m.

“The biggest change for Tebello is that he’s finally getting to be coached in person – we are both grateful for the time together. Tebello has been eating and sleeping well and has substantially increased his training volume.”

An indication of the effectiveness of Ramakongoana’s new training regime is that he set national records for Lesotho over 5km, 12km and the half marathon in recent weeks and his half marathon winning time of 60:17 in Duluth, Minnesota, was nearly two minutes clear of his closest rivals, Flagstaff teammates Tsegay Weldibanos and Nathan Martin.

“It’s not been easy,” McKirdy recognised. “Tebello has sacrificed time away from his wife and his two-year-old son and misses them terribly. But he’s also found peace with being here for this time and we have plans for a return, possibly with his family.”

McKirdy is coach to the Lesotho team in Paris and will also have the talented Mokulubete Blandine Makatisi, winner of this year’s Two Oceans Half Marathon, under his wing.

Zimbabwe has two athletes competing in the Olympic Marathons, Isaac Mpofu and Rutendo Nyahora, currently finalising their preparation in a training camp with their respective coaches.

National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe President and member of World Athletics’ Development Commission, Tendayi Tegara, is hopeful his athletes will race to the best of their ability.

“It is my hope for Mpofu to be in the top ten, as he has tasted it before (Mpofu won the Durban International Marathon in May 2022 and placed 10th in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, two months later). He is a down-to-earth, battle-hardened athlete who should do well. A medal would be a bonus.

“Nyahora is a most enduring athlete and our best female marathon runner in Zimbabwe. She must come in a respectable position.”

Source: Stephen Grange || bird story agency