Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon

The men's marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in August 29, 2004 in the streets of Athens, Greece. The streets were recently painted for the event, which provided an excellent road surface for the athletes. Drawing upon the ancient origins of the race, the marathon began in Marathon, Greece. It ended at Panathinaiko Stadium, the stadium used for the 1896 Athens Olympics.

As with previous Olympics, the marathon marked the end of the 2004 Summer Olympics and the medal ceremony took place during the Closing Ceremony at the Olympic Stadium.

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Incident

The event was marked by an incident in which Cornelius Horan, an Irish protester, pushed Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil into the crowds while de Lima was leading the event on the last 10 kilometers. Greek spectator Polyvios Kossivas subdued Horan and helped Vanderlei up and back to the lane. De Lima lost about 15 to 20 seconds of his running time because of the interruption, and finished third in the event with a time of 2:12:11 — winning the bronze medal. De Lima was awarded the special Pierre de Coubertin Medal for sportsmanship in addition to his bronze. The protester had a sign on his back that read "The Grand Prix Priest. Israel Fulfilment of Prophecy Says The Bible. The Second Coming is Near." He later apologized for possibly costing de Lima the gold, but has never refuted his radical message.

Records

World Olympic Record
world_athlete = flagathlete|Paul Tergat|KEN
world_mark = 2:04:55
world_place = Berlin, Germany
world_date = 28 September 2003
olympic_athlete = flagIOCathlete|Carlos Lopes|POR|1984 Summer
olympic_mark = 2:09:21
olympic_place = Los Angeles, USA
olympic_date = 12 August 1984

Medalists

Results

ee also

* 2003 Men's World Championships Marathon
* 2005 Men's World Championships Marathon

External links

* [http://www.cbc.ca/story/olympics/national/2004/08/29/Sports/marathon040829.html Marathon marred by attack on race leader]
* [http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2835934 Oddly dressed man attacks marathon leader]