China sweeps diving with eight golds in Paris

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola broke the Olympic record to win the men’s marathon on Saturday as China completed an unprecedented clean sweep of all eight diving medals. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko upgraded to a gold in the women’s golf while Victor Wembanyama’s France prepared to take on the mighty USA in a dream basketball final.

Tola dominated the marathon on the sun-drenched streets from central Paris to Versailles as Eliud Kipchoge’s bid for a third straight gold went up in smoke.

The 22-year-old delivered a masterclass in solo front running to clock a time of 2hr 06min 26sec, 21 seconds clear of Belgium’s Bashir Abdi, the bronze medallist from Tokyo, with Kenya’s Benson Kipruto taking bronze. “I’m happy today. I was 2022 world champion and now I’m Olympic champion,” said Tola. “It’s the greatest day in my life.

This was my goal.” Former world record holder Kipchoge, the 39-year-old Kenyan who won golds in the 2016 Rio Games and in Tokyo in 2021, pulled up late in the race.

In scenes captured by an AFP reporter in the crowd, Kipchoge turned to fans and handed over his shoes, bib and socks to supporters, receiving a rapturous reception. Later Saturday, China underlined their total domination of Olympic diving by winning their eighth gold out of eight events, as Cao Yuan triumphed in the men’s 10m platform.

The Chinese also swept the board in the table tennis for the sixth time in Olympic history, with China’s women overpowering Japan in the team event.