World athletics World Cup: Petros with sensation in the marathon – “History written”

Marathon runner Amanal Petros threw himself over the finish line with the last strength and then put his hands over his head somewhat in disbelief after his sensational coup in the marathon. The 30-year-old won the silver medal at the World Championships in Tokyo. After a success for German athletics history, the runner, fled from Africa at a young age, did not want to stop the round of honor in a Germany flag.

“For me it is a huge story to achieve it – especially for my family, for my mom, who has lived in a war zone forever. I haven’t seen her for eight, nine years,” said Petros. The 30-year-old only had to give up alphonce Simbu from Tanzania in the photo finish in a mega-exciting final sprint. The Italian Iliass Aouani won bronze.

“Amanal wrote history,” said a completely overwhelmed national marathon coach Alexander Fromm, who had tears of joy in his eyes, in the ARD. “Simply outstanding.”

Petros ran the prestigious route of 42.195 kilometers in Tokyo in 2:09:48 hours and made a strong race in the top group from the start. He was always able to respond to pace sharpening. When he tied together with Simbu and Aouani on the last few meters into the Tokyo nation stadium, Petros attacked. He even looked like the winner a few meters before the finish. But on the last few meters, Simbu passed the German.

“For me, this medal is a huge integration as a German,” said Petros, whose mom lives in Tigray in Ethiopia. Since the mother lives in a village without electricity and internet, according to Petros, he wants to cut and send her a few videos. “Hopefully I will bring her to Germany to a competition.”

2012 fled from East Africa

Petros, who fled from East Africa in 2012, only won the second German marathon medal among men in the history of World Athletics Championships. In 1983 in Helsinki the two -time Olympic champion Waldemar Cierpinski won bronze for the GDR.

“I’m now dreaming right now. It was really a very long journey. I finally made it. I trained in Kenya at 2,500 meters for four months. It was not an easy time for me, it was brutal,” said Petros.

Second medal in Tokyo for Germany

After silver by long femorist Malaika Mihambo on Sunday, the Petros Coup is already the second precious metal for the German Athletics Association in Japan. At the past World Cup in Budapest two years ago, the German athletes had remained completely without a medal.

Like Petros, Richard Ringer ran a courageous race and finished 13th. After about 34 kilometers, the European champion from 2022 had to let the top group in Munich.

Ringer is happy with: “Enjoy a moment”

“My goal was top-eight,” said Ringer, who was still very happy because of his teammate Petros’s coup. “I’ve brought him in the room for the last few days. We pushed each other.” You have to “enjoy the moment,” emphasized Ringer. “Amanal enjoyed the European title with me at the time. And today I enjoy his medal.”