Kitata reveals the one thing he did differently to beat Kipchoge

When Shura Kitata finished second behind Eliud Kicphoge in the 2018 London Marathon, he admitted he had struggled to get his pre-race fuel right.

In a Tweet, the Ethiopian runner said, ‘I made tricky mistake, I didn't eat breakfast, I just had some fruits. I thought I'd be OK. But I end up being very hungry. At 35/36k, I felt my stomach touching my back, super hungry. Went out of energy. I will be back and win the race.’

Two weeks ago, he was back for London and this time he won, while Kipchoge, the world record holder and Olympic champion, finished in eighth place. Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, Kitata said, ‘This year, I ate everything.'

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‘I had soup, bread, eggs and yoghurt – everything that I could to boost my energy and it helped me keep my energy up and I was able to win the battle.’

london, england october 04 eliud kipchoge of kenya reacts as he crosses the line as first place shura kitata of ethiopia and second place vincent kipchumba of kenya celebrate following the elite men’s race during the 2020 virgin money london marathon around st jamess park on october 04, 2020 in london, england the 40th race will take place on a closed loop circuit around st james’s park in central london photo by richard heathcotegetty images

Richard Heathcote

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below led to his disappointing performance in this year’s event. 'I started off well. But I just got a slight problem with my right ear. It got blocked, and I tried to do all necessary, I tried to hold back, but it was not possible. But this is sport. Today you are up, tomorrow you are down.’

Race-day conditions were tough, but Kitata said he felt the heavy rain gave him an advantage. ‘I was excited because I had been training in heavy rain season in Ethiopia’.

He also said the pre-race focus on Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele spurred him on: ‘When the pandemic struck, I didn’t just stay at home. I was working with my coach for five months. It was not special because I beat Eliud Kipchoge, it was special because I worked hard.

‘Everyone was focused on two athletes – Kipchoge and Bekele – and I didn’t get any attention. I told myself that I will prove to the world that there is another champion and this feeling is what made me able to sprint to the end with full confidence and energy.’

The 24-year-old has now set his sights on winning the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics next year, ‘I will try to bring a gold medal for my country and also for my children to have as a memory – so they can one day say, “My father was an Olympic medallist.”’