HELSINKI, Aug 13: Jaouad Gharib of Morocco retained his men’s marathon title here at the athletics World Championships on Saturday.

The 33-year-old timed two hours 10 minutes 10 seconds while Christopher Isegwe gave Tanzania their first-ever world championship medal as he took silver with a personal best time of two hours 10:21 and Tsuyoshi Ogata of Japan clinched the bronze running a season’s best of two hours 11:16.

At the 5km mark Jose Rios - a European bronze medallist at 10,000m - led a group of 15 athletes including Brazil’s unfortunate Olympic bronze medallist Vanderlei di Lima by a second along with Isegwe.

By the 10km mark it was still the same duo just in front although two seconds covered a group of 31 athletes.

Rios was still part of the leading group of 15 at the 20km mark among whom there was his compatriot and world silver medallist two years ago Julio Rey, the New York Marathon champion from South Africa Hendrick Ramaala and Olympic champion Stefano Baldini of Italy.

However 36-year-old di Lima — who looked certain to take the Olympic title last year till he was unceremoniously grappled with by a defrocked Irish priest — looked like he was cooked as he was seven seconds off the pace and struggling to get back.—Agencies

MEDALS TABLE AFTER SEVENTH DAY