By James Toney

Mahamed Mahamed admitted even his worst fears about the Olympic marathon weren't close to reality.

On the hardest course in Games history, Mahamed came home 57th in 2:15.19 and confessed his two emotions were exhaustion and disappointment.

With his idol Mo Farah watching on, Mahamed was unable to match his brilliant fourth place at the London Marathon earlier this year, a run that stamped his ticket to Paris and made him the third fastest Brit of all-time.

"It was the toughest course, the toughest race, I’ve never seen something like that," he admitted.

"It was a difficult day for me. I’m disappointed, I wanted to do much better than that.

"Twelve hours ago, I had a lower back to hip problem and didn't think I'd race. But I lined up, I didn’t want to disappoint the team, not to be able to complete my race at my first Olympics. I finished it, it was a good experience and I enjoyed it.

"It’s my third marathon. I’m still learning the process. To be able to compete at a high level requires hard work.

"After London I was struggling a bit with my fitness and injury, but at the end of the day I finished the race. I’m disappointed but it’s okay, there are positives too, being an Olympian is a very special feeling."

Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder seeking an improbable third straight Olympic gold, found it so tough he resorted to walking and didn’t finish.

In recent Games we've become used to dead flat city centre circuit marathons but Paris dared to be different, saving this sadistic test till last.

The women, who compete on Sunday morning, will not sleep any easier having watched the human debris left behind by this lung-burning stamina test. Survival was the goal and while 71 staggered across the finish line, ten didn’t make it.

The course was a torture test, snaking west toward Versailles, along the route taken by thousands of women, early in the French Revolution, who were seeking reforms from King Louis XVI at his palace.

Athletes trained not just for the energy-sapping hills but the equally demanding descents, running downhill being one of the biggest causes of injury in distance running.

The closing stages took in all the postcard landmarks, though no-one was in a fit state to enjoy the sights and the finish line at the Esplanade des Invalides, the famous home of 17th-century hospital, seemed fitting for so many broken bodies.

Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola's took gold while Mahamed's British team-mate Emile Cairess came home fourth, the best Team GB performance in 20 years.

"I'm pleased for Emile, it's inspiration too because I know I'm capable of performances like that with more hard work," added Mahamed.

Watch every moment of Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics