Gopi T finishes in his second-best timing to date

Kenyan athletes swept the podium in the men’s category while Ethiopians dominated the women’s, at the 2023 TCS Amsterdam Marathon held in the Dutch capital on Sunday, October 15.

As per results available on the website of World Athletics, top honours among men went to Kenya’s Joshua Belet. The 25-year old covered the distance in a personal best (PB) of two hours, four minutes and 18 seconds. As per Eurosport’s race report (available on YouTube), it was his first victory at a major marathon. He was followed to the finish line by compatriots Cybrian Kotut (2:04:34) and Bethwel Chumba (2:04:37).

The women’s race was won by Meseret Belete of Ethiopia (2:18:21). It was a PB. Her compatriot Meseret Abebayehu (2:19:50) placed second while Kenya’s Dorkas Tuitoek (2:20:02) placed third. There were seven Ethiopian athletes and two Kenyans in the top ten women finishers. On the men’s side, the share of the two African nations in the top ten was – three Kenyan runners and five from Ethiopia. The finishing time of winners in both the gender categories was also the third fastest time in those segments recorded yet in the Dutch capital, World Athletics said in its report.

India’s Gopi T completed his race in 2:14:55, making Sunday’s outing in Amsterdam his second fastest marathon to date. In March 2019, Gopi had clocked 2:13:39 at the year’s Seoul Marathon. It remains his PB and best performance yet by an Indian male marathoner since the late Shivnath Singh’s national record of 2:12:00 (still unbroken) set in 1978.

In a post-race interaction with this blog Gopi said that given the circumstances, he was happy with his performance in Amsterdam on Sunday. It was cold during the beginning of the race and while the run was on, there was rain. “ My timing was good till about 30 kilometres. After that, there was rain and I had this feeling of my legs, calf muscles and all, getting jammed. The last 10 kilometres ended up slow. Still, I am happy I ran in this weather condition because this is my second-best timing. I am happy about that. If there was no rain, perhaps the timing could have been better. It was cold in the morning; the start was in eight degrees or so. All that may have contributed. But it’s okay even though there are improvements required. After all, one has to be able to run in all types of weather conditions. Many runners reported slower timing and cramps. One tended to slip. Overall, I feel I did well under the circumstances,’’ Gopi said.

The elite marathoner has been attempting a comeback to form since knee surgery and the months of reduced activity in the sporting calendar due to COVID-19. In January, he had been the winner among Indian elites at the 2023 Tata Mumbai Marathon with timing of 2:16:41, his first major victory in a while. However his March rendezvous with the 2023 Seoul Marathon ended up a 2:18:53 because after the 32nd kilometre, he experienced a catch in his hamstring that demanded stopping, stretching and a jog to the finish thereafter. Sunday’s outcome (2:14:55) in Amsterdam, was another milestone in Gopi’s ongoing efforts to return to fine timings.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai.)