It was a day like no other for Emile Cairess on the streets of Paris. An Olympic debut to remember, as James Rhodes reports.

A day to remember for Emile Cairess. Not since Jon Brown twenty years ago has a British man finished fourth at the Olympics. Least of all on one of the most challenging courses in recent Olympic history, on a hot and humid day.

Yet, that is exactly what the man from Leeds did, at his debut Olympics no less. Perhaps it is no surprise for an athlete who has had considerable success over cross country to do well on a course with hills likened more to a Tour de France stage than an Olympic marathon course. After all, Emile is a BUCS Cross Country Champion and finished second at the English Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill in 2022.

The course may have suited Cairess, but one cannot overlook neither the opposition he faced or the time he ran. Plenty of notable athletes behind him, including perhaps the greatest of them all. Kenenisa Bekele, who finished 39th, and Eliud Kipchoge – who did not finish at all. He was at home, alongside world-class athletes, for that is what he is.

His time of 2:07:27 in itself is remarkable. His second fastest, in only his third marathon. A distance relatively new, but you’d never have guessed it. He stuck with the moves when needed, not going too fast in the opening miles. Indeed, like the top of the field, his second half was considerably faster than the first. He was 49th at 5km, 33rd at 15km, 15th at 20km. Emile recorded a halfway split of 64:59, sitting ninth at the time.

Afterwards, Cairess spoke of his approach to the race and his performance.

“I thought I could run well, but it’s difficult to know. You can’t control other people’s shape, so who knows where my shape was going to put me. I just wanted to give myself a chance. That was my thinking, just try to run as fast as I could until the end. Maybe someone of them would blow up and I could catch them, but it just so happened that three of them didn’t blow up”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Training Partner

It was a tough day for Phil Sesemann and Mahamed Mahamed, who finished 46th and 57th respectively. However, they ran well in their debut Olympics and can (and should) look back with pride at what they achieved. Both recognised how challenging the course and conditions were, with Phil proud of his outing:

“It was really, really tough. I am really proud of how I prepared and how I got myself ready to race. I wish I had come with better legs but that’s the best I could do today. It was a crazy experience.

You dream of making the Olympics, but I maybe didn’t think it is possible until about a year ago. At 31-years-old, it has taken a long time, and I’m really proud of myself”.

Photo: Bjorn Paree

Fast Victory

A late addition to the Ethiopian team, Tamirat Tola added an Olympic title to his 2022 World Championship victory (2:06:26). In the process, he broke Sammy Wanjiru’s Olympic Record from 2008, something not many would have expected given the nature of the course.

Bashir Abdi of Belgium (2:06:47) and Kenya’s Benson Kipruto (2:07:00) completed the podium.

Photo: James Rhodes

The women’s marathon takes place tomorrow, starting at 07:00 UK time. Calli Thackery-Haugher, Rose Harvey and Clara Evans will compete for Great Britain.