Geay earns bronze in Berlin

TANZANIAN runner Gabriel Gerald Geay produced a strong late surge to finish third at the 2026 Berlin Marathon yesterday, recovering from seventh place to secure a podium finish in 2:03:59.

Geay was the only Tanzanian among the top 10, in a field dominated by Ethiopian runners. Eight of the top 10 finishers were Ethiopian, while Japan’s Yuhei Urano was ninth in 2:06:09.

Ethiopia’s Guye Adola won the men’s race in 2:02:50, followed by compatriot Gemechu Dida Diriba in 2:03:19.

Geay’s race was one of constant movement.

He was 10th at 5km, but quickly moved through the field to take the lead at 10km. By 15km, he had dropped to third before moving into second at halfway, which he reached in 1:01:01.

The Tanzanian then slipped down the order in the second half of the race.

He was seventh at 25km and remained there at 30km as the race entered its decisive stages. But Geay responded strongly over the final 12 kilometres. He climbed to fourth at 35km before moving into third at 40km.

From there, Geay held his position to the finish, crossing the line in 2:03:59 to claim third place.

His second-half recovery was particularly notable given the changes in his position throughout the race. After starting the final 10km in seventh, he gained four places to finish on the podium.

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Geay’s finishing time came from a race in which he maintained a fast pace through the opening stages. His 5km splits were consistently around the 2:54-per-kilometre mark through 20km, before the pace gradually slowed in the latter stages.

The result placed Geay behind two Ethiopian runners and ahead of the rest of the field, giving Tanzania a third-place finish in a men’s top 10 heavily dominated by Ethiopia.

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