SOLE-CRUSHING

Vienna City Marathon Winner Derara Hurisa Disqualified for 1-Centimeter Shoe Violation

The soles on Hurisa’s shoes were five centimeters thick, and therefore did not meet the four-centimeter-max requirement of the race, according to race coordinator Hannes Langer.

Ethiopia’s Derara Hurisa won the Vienna City Marathon with a time of 2:09:22, only for his win to be immediately disqualified. Why? His sole was one centimeter too thick. According to Reuters, the soles on Hurisa’s shoes were 5 centimeters thick, and therefore did not meet the 4-centimeter-max requirement of the race, said race coordinator Hannes Langer. Langer stressed the rules left them “no other choice than disqualifying the athlete.” Hurisa initially disclosed on the registration form that he would be wearing a different shoe—one that met the race’s standards. His disqualification made Kenya’s Leonard Langat, who finished three seconds behind Hurisa, the official winner of the Vienna City marathon.