Elroy Gelant produced a superb effort on Sunday, breaking the 31-year-old South African men's marathon record in Hamburg, Germany.

Gelant took fourth place at the Hamburg Marathon, completing the 42.2km race in 2:05:36. The 38-year-old athlete, a former South African record holder over the 5 000m distance on the track, ripped nearly a full minute off the national record set by Gert Thys in Tokyo in 1999.

Gelant, who obliterated his personal best of 2:08:56, also qualified for the marathon race at the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo in September, dipping under the required standard of 2:06:30.

Kenyan athlete Amos Kipruto won the men's race at the Hamburg Marathon in 2:03:46.

"Well done to Elroy, his coach and support staff," said James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa. "He continues to dominate the distance. We congratulate him for also qualifying for Tokyo."

* All SA records are subject to standard ratification processes

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About Athletics South Africa:
Athletics South Africa (ASA) is the national governing body for the sport of athletics (including Track and Field, Cross Country, Road Running and Race Walking) in South Africa, is a member of World Athletics  and the Confederation of African Athletics.  The association was formed in 1995 and is based in Johannesburg. 

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