 Shura running in the2018 London Marathon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Shura Kitata Tola | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Ethiopian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1996-06-09)9 June 1996 (age 29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Ethiopia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Marathon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbests |
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Medal record
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Shura Kitata Tola (born 9 June 1996) is anEthiopianlong-distance runner who competes in themarathon andhalf-marathon. He has raced in severalWorld Marathon Majors, including the2020 London Marathon, where he won the race in a time of 2:05:41, beating Kenya'sEliud Kipchoge, and the2018 London Marathon where he finished in second place behind him. His other best performances include the 2017Rome Marathon and 2017Frankfurt Marathon victories and second places at the2018 and2022 New York City Marathon.
Shura Kitata was born on 9 June 1996 near the capital of EthiopiaAddis Ababa on his family's farm.[1] He began running ingrade school.[1] He wanted to become a doctor or a pilot but had to leave school in order to help his parents on the farm.[2]
In 2015, Shura went to a training camp in Addis Ababa run by Haji Adilo,[2] and three months later, he debuted in themarathon distance at theShanghai Marathon in China. He finished in a time of 2:08:53 behindPaul Lonyangata andStephen Mokoka.[3]
The next year, he finished second at theXiamen International Marathon in China. By the last 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), a small leading group had formed consisting of Shura,Feyisa Bekele,Abdela Godana,Alemu Gemechu,Gebre Mekuant, andVincent Kipruto. Kipruto and Shura left the others behind; however, with 200m to go, Kipruto put in a strong finish to leave Shura in second place with a time of 2:10:20.[4] In May, he competed in theOttawa Marathon, finishing second in a time of 2:10:04 behindDino Sefir.[5] In November, he came second at theIstanbul Marathon in a time of 2:14:06 behindEvans Kiplagat.[6]
On 2 January 2017, Shura again finished well in the Xiamen International Marathon, finishing third behindLemi Berhanu andMosinet Geremew in a time of 2:10:36.[7] He won his first marathon in April when he beat the likes of Werkunesh Seyoum, Solomon Lema, and Dominic Ruto at theRome Marathon in Italy. He finished with a time of 2:07:30, the second-fastest time on the course.[8] In July, he debuted in thehalf marathon distance at theBogotá Half Marathon, finishing third behindFeyisa Lilesa andPeter Kirui in a time of 1:05:04.[9] It was in the second half of 2017 that Shura had his greatest success; he won theFrankfurt Marathon with a personal best of 2:05:50. He leftKelkile Gezahegn andGetu Feleke in the second half of the race.[10]
In 2018, Shura competed at his firstWorld Marathon Majors race at theLondon Marathon. The field includedEliud Kipchoge,Mo Farah,Kenenisa Bekele, andDaniel Wanjiru. Shura finished in a "surprise" second place behind Kipchoge in a time of 2:04:49.[11][12] On 16 September, he won the 2018Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon by nearly four minutes in a time of 59:16.[13] A month later, Shura competed in another World Marathon Major, theNew York City Marathon. He came second behindLelisa Desisa by just two seconds to set a time of 2:06:01, the third fastest time on the course. He beat former half marathon world record holderGeoffrey Kamworor from Kenya.[14][15]
In 2019, Shura first raced at theHouston Half Marathon on 19 January, winning the event in a time of 1:00:11. He said it was a "real hard race" with "stiff competition" having finished just three seconds ahead of second-placedJemal Yimer.[16] Shura competed in two World Marathon Majors in 2019; theNew York City Marathon and theLondon Marathon. In London, on 28 April, Kipchoge won, Mosinet Geremew came second,Mule Wasihun came third,[17] and Shura came fourth in a time of 2:05:01, about fourteen minutes after the lead group dropped him.[18] In New York, he finished fifth in a time of 2:10:39.[19]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the2020 London Marathon was postponed and took place on 4 October.[20] The race didn't take the usual course through the city, but instead consisted of 19.8 laps aroundSt James's Park, with no spectators and only elite runners allowed to participate.[21] A few days before the race, Kenenisa Bekele pulled out due tocalf problems, meaning Kipchoge was the "overwhelming favourite".[22] Having struggled with hunger at the 2019 London Marathon, Shura ate soup, bread, eggs and yoghurt for breakfast to ensure he had enough energy.[2] The race began at a slow pace, passing halfway in 1:02:54.[23] With 4 miles (6.4 km) left, there were still nine in the lead group but at 24 miles (39 km) into the race, Kipchoge was dropped from the group.[23] Shura was involved in a sprint finish downThe Mall and managed to beatVincent Kipchumba to win the race in a time of 2:05:41.[24][23] Kipchoge later revealed that a "blocked right ear" had affected his performance, having finished eighth in a time of 2:06:49.[25][23] Shura said the race was "not special because I beat Eliud Kipchoge, it was special because I worked hard" and also pointed out that "everyone was focussed on two athletes – Kipchoge and Bekele – and I didn't get any attention".[2]
Shura qualified for themarathon at the delayed2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, with his strong finish in London giving hopes of a medal, but he had to withdraw shortly before the 10 kilometer mark with an apparenthamstring injury.[26][27]
In November 2022, he placed second at theNew York City Marathon in a time of 2:08:54 behind onlyEvans Chebet (2:08:41).[28]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Shanghai Marathon | Shanghai, China | 3rd | Marathon | 2:08:53 |
| 2016 | Xiamen International Marathon | Xiamen, China | 2nd | Marathon | 2:10:20 |
| Ottawa Marathon | Ottawa, Canada | 2nd | Marathon | 2:10:04 | |
| Istanbul Marathon | Istanbul, Turkey | 2nd | Marathon | 2:14:08 | |
| 2017 | Xiamen International Marathon | Xiamen, China | 3rd | Marathon | 2:10:36 |
| Rome Marathon | Rome, Italy | 1st | Marathon | 2:07:28 | |
| Bogotá Half Marathon | Bogotá, Colombia | 3rd | Half marathon | 1:05:04 | |
| Frankfurt Marathon | Frankfurt, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:05:50 | |
| 2018 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | Marathon | 2:04:49 |
| Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon | Philadelphia, PA, United States | 1st | Half marathon | 59:16 | |
| New York City Marathon | New York, NY, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:06:01 | |
| 2019 | Houston Half Marathon | Houston, TX, United States | 1st | Half marathon | 1:00:11 |
| London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 4th | Marathon | 2:05:01 | |
| New York City Marathon | New York, NY, United States | 5th | Marathon | 2:10:39 | |
| 2020 | Houston Half Marathon | Houston, TX, United States | 8th | Half marathon | 59:47 |
| London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 1st | Marathon | 2:05:41 | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Sapporo, Japan | – | Marathon | DNF |
| London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 6th | Marathon | 2:07:51 | |
| 2022 | Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | Marathon | 2:06:12 |
| New York City Marathon | New York, NY, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:08:54 |
