Simbu wins historic photo finish to claim Tanzania’s first World Championship gold

It was a finish for the ages in Tokyo. Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu edged out Germany’s Amanal Petros in a dramatic men's marathon at the World Championships, winning by just 0.03 seconds after 26.2 grueling miles!

The two runners sprinted neck-and-neck into Japan National Stadium, needing a photo finish to decide it. Both clocked in at 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 48 seconds, but Simbu’s lunge at the line made the difference.

“It’s like the 100 meters,” said Petros and he wasn’t wrong. The margin was even tighter than the men’s and women’s 100-meter finals the night before.

This was the closest marathon finish in World Championships history and it gave Tanzania its first-ever gold at the Olympic or world level.

“It is amazing to me,” Simbu said. “I made history today.”