Olympic Marathon Winning Time Comparison (1984 to 2024)
Compare 11 Olympic men marathon winning times from 1984 to 2024 in seconds, from Lopes at 2:09:21 to Tola record 2:06:26, with sources and conversion math.
Visual comparison
All values
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| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Lopes (Los Angeles 1984) 7200 + 540 + 21 = 7761. Held the record until 2008. | 7,761 seconds | Winning time 2:09:21, Olympic record at the time | Olympics.com marathon champions list; Los Angeles 1984 results |
| Gelindo Bordin (Seoul 1988) 7200 + 600 + 32 = 7832. | 7,832 seconds | Winning time 2:10:32 | Olympics.com marathon champions list; World Athletics profile |
| Hwang Yeong Jo (Barcelona 1992) 7200 + 780 + 23 = 8003. Slowest winning time in this set. | 8,003 seconds | Winning time 2:13:23 | Olympics.com marathon champions list |
| Josia Thugwane (Atlanta 1996) 7200 + 720 + 36 = 7956. | 7,956 seconds | Winning time 2:12:36 | Olympics.com marathon champions list |
| Gezahegne Abera (Sydney 2000) 7200 + 600 + 11 = 7811. Youngest champion here at age 22. | 7,811 seconds | Winning time 2:10:11 | Olympics.com marathon champions list |
| Stefano Baldini (Athens 2004) 7200 + 600 + 55 = 7855. | 7,855 seconds | Winning time 2:10:55, finish at Panathinaiko Stadium | Olympics.com marathon champions list |
| Samuel Wanjiru (Beijing 2008) 7200 + 360 + 32 = 7592. First Olympic marathon win for Kenya. | 7,592 seconds | Winning time 2:06:32, Olympic record at the time | Olympics.com athlete page; World Athletics Beijing report |
| Stephen Kiprotich (London 2012) 7200 + 480 + 1 = 7681. Second ever gold for Uganda. | 7,681 seconds | Winning time 2:08:01 | Olympics.com marathon champions list |
| Eliud Kipchoge (Rio 2016) 7200 + 480 + 44 = 7724. First of two Kipchoge wins. | 7,724 seconds | Winning time 2:08:44 | Olympics.com marathon champions list |
| Eliud Kipchoge (Tokyo 2020) 7200 + 480 + 38 = 7718. Six seconds faster than Rio. | 7,718 seconds | Winning time 2:08:38, Games held in 2021 | Olympics.com marathon champions list |
| Tamirat Tola (Paris 2024) 7200 + 360 + 26 = 7586. Entered as a reserve replacement. | 7,586 seconds | Winning time 2:06:26, current Olympic record | Olympics.com Paris 2024 results and 10 Aug 2024 report |
About this converter
Olympic men marathon winning times from 1984 to 2024 span 417 seconds, which makes every era easy to compare. Tamirat Tola won Paris 2024 in 2:06:26, while Hwang Yeong Jo won Barcelona 1992 in 2:13:23. That is a gap of 7 minutes 57 seconds over 11 Games. Every figure on this page is an official winning time from Olympics.com champion lists and Games results pages, cross checked with World Athletics profiles. Times are stored as total seconds, and each row shows the working from hours, minutes and seconds.
How to use it
Pick two winners and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked: one holds a count of the first time, one the matching count of the second, one the total in seconds. Change any box and the other two update. Try Tola against Bordin to feel the 40 year gap, or Kipchoge Rio against Kipchoge Tokyo to compare his two wins.
Tola 7,586 seconds is the current Olympic record, breaking Wanjiru 7,592 from Beijing 2008. Lopes 7,761 held the record from 1984 until then. Kipchoge won twice in this set, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, joining Bikila and Cierpinski as double champions. Tokyo 2020 was held in 2021. Tola entered Paris as a reserve replacement.
FAQ
Who holds the Olympic men marathon record?
Tamirat Tola holds it with 2:06:26 at Paris 2024, which is 7,586 seconds.
Who broke the 1984 Olympic record of Carlos Lopes?
Samuel Wanjiru broke it with 2:06:32 at Beijing 2008, which is 7,592 seconds.
Which men won two Olympic marathons?
Abebe Bikila, Waldemar Cierpinski and Eliud Kipchoge won two each. Kipchoge won Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
What is the slowest men winning time from 1984 to 2024?
Hwang Yeong Jo with 2:13:23 at Barcelona 1992, which is 8,003 seconds.
Sources
- Olympics.com full list of Olympic marathon champions (updated 14 Aug 2024)
- Olympics.com Games results pages (Los Angeles 1984 and Paris 2024 men marathon)
- World Athletics athlete profiles and race reports (Lopes, Bordin, Wanjiru, Beijing 2008)
Last verified: 2026-10-04 · 11 entries
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