Tokyo Olympics: Chris Thompson wins marathon trials to secure selection
Chris Thompson shatters his personal best to book Olympic Marathon place; Thompson became a father for the first time on Monday; Ben Connor finishes second to also guarantee selection; Steph Davis won the women's race and also qualifies for Tokyo
Last Updated: 26/03/21 5:01pm
Chris Thompson produced a masterful performance to win the British Olympic Marathon trials in the unusual surroundings of London's Kew Gardens and secure his place in Tokyo later this year.
His time of two hours, 10 minutes and 50 seconds shattered his personal best from seven years ago and, more importantly, was well inside the Olympic qualifying time of 2:11.30.
Thompson, who turns 40 next month, showed all his experience as he let a lead pack break clear for more than half the race.
Looking out of it, he then reeled them in as the pace slowed and surged clear in emphatic style and by the last lap he was half a minute ahead.
"I don't know how I've done it - I'm 39 for crying out loud - this doesn't happen.
"This sounds bad but I knew it with two laps to go and I was trying to control my emotions then."
It caps the end of a memorable week for the athlete after he became a father for the first time on Monday.
"Everything fell into place, I was in dreamland," Thompson said.
"After 30 minutes I realised I had worked the course out and I realised you can't keep pressing like this.
"I just entered my own little mind palace and thought 'this is the rhythm I need'. I feel like someone is going to tell me this didn't happen."
Back in 2010, Thompson won silver over 10,000 metres at the European Athletics Championships, behind Mo Farah.
While Farah went on to win multiple world and Olympic titles, Thompson endured a wretched run of injuries, though he did make the 2012 Olympics in the marathon, finishing 25th.
Ben Connor, who already had the qualifying standard from last year's London Marathon, finished second in 2:12.06 to also punch his Tokyo ticket, alongside Callum Hawkins, pre-selected, who acted as a pacemaker.
Steph Davis, still a relative part-timer, burst into tears after destroying the field and her own personal best to win the women's race. Davis was the only woman to finish inside the qualifying time with a PB of 2.27.16, remarkably she only ran her first marathon just over two years ago.
Callum Wilkinson won the men's 20km race walks trial but did not break the Olympic qualifying standard of 81 minutes. Tom Bosworth finished second to secure his qualification having already achieved the qualifying standard.
Friday's event was the first time a one-off trial race had been held for an Olympic marathon since 1980, the London Marathon has done the job since then.
Officials will hope things turn out a bit better this year, however, as all three British men failed to finish in Moscow, which came four years before women were allowed to race the distance at the Games.
