This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Shura, and not as Kitata.
Shura Kitata was born on 9 June 1996 near the capital of Ethiopia Addis Ababa on his family's farm.[1] He began running in grade school.[1] He wanted to become a doctor or a pilot but had to leave school in order to help his parents on the farm.[2]
Career
In 2015, Shura went to a training camp in Addis Ababa run by Haji Adilo,[2] and three months later, he debuted in the marathon distance at the Shanghai Marathon in China. He finished in a time of 2:08:53 behind Paul Lonyangata and Stephen Mokoka.[3]
On 2 January 2017, Shura again finished well in the Xiamen International Marathon, finishing third behind Lemi Berhanu and Mosinet Geremew in a time of 2:10:36.[7] He won his first marathon in April when he beat the likes of Werkunesh Seyoum, Solomon Lema, and Dominic Ruto at the Rome Marathon in Italy. He finished with a time of 2:07:30, the second-fastest time on the course.[8] In July, he debuted in the half marathon distance at the Bogotá Half Marathon, finishing third behind Feyisa Lilesa and Peter Kirui in a time of 1:05:04.[9] It was in the second half of 2017 that Shura had his greatest success; he won the Frankfurt Marathon with a personal best of 2:05:50. He left Kelkile Gezahegn and Getu Feleke in the second half of the race.[10]
In 2019, Shura first raced at the Houston Half Marathon on 19 January, winning the event in a time of 1:00:11. He said it was a "real hard race" with "stiff competition" having finished just three seconds ahead of second-placed Jemal Yimer.[16] Shura competed in two World Marathon Majors in 2019; the New York City Marathon and the London Marathon. In London, on 28 April, Kipchoge won, Mosinet Geremew came second, Mule Wasihun came third,[17] and Shura came fourth in a time of 2:05:01, about fourteen minutes after the lead group dropped him.[18] In New York, he finished fifth in a time of 2:10:39.[19]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 London Marathon was postponed and took place on 4 October.[20] The race didn't take the usual course through the city, but instead consisted of 19.8 laps around St James's Park, with no spectators and only elite runners allowed to participate.[21] A few days before the race, Kenenisa Bekele pulled out due to calf problems, meaning Kipchoge was the "overwhelming favourite".[22] Having struggled with hunger at the 2019 London Marathon, Shura ate soup, bread, eggs and yoghurt for breakfast to ensure he had enough energy.[2] The race began at a slow pace, passing halfway in 1:02:54.[23] With 4 miles (6.4 km) left, there were still nine in the lead group but at 24 miles (39 km) into the race, Kipchoge was dropped from the group.[23] Shura was involved in a sprint finish down The Mall and managed to beat Vincent Kipchumba to win the race in a time of 2:05:41.[24][23] Kipchoge later revealed that a "blocked right ear" had affected his performance, having finished eighth in a time of 2:06:49.[25][23] Shura said the race was "not special because I beat Eliud Kipchoge, it was special because I worked hard" and also pointed out that "everyone was focussed on two athletes – Kipchoge and Bekele – and I didn't get any attention".[2]
Shura qualified for the marathon at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, with his strong finish in London giving hopes of a medal, but he had to withdraw shortly before the 10 kilometer mark with an apparent hamstring injury.[26][27]
