RIO DE JANEIRO -- Canadian Eric Gillis finished 10th in the men's marathon on Sunday, the last day of the Rio Olympics.
Gillis, from Antigonish, N.S., finished in two hours 12 minutes 29 seconds, just off the Canadian record set of 2:10:09 set by Toronto's Jerome Drayton in 1975.
"I was just focused on moving up through the field throughout the race, then with about two kilometres to go I heard someone yell 'pass one more guy and you're in top 10,"' said Gillis. "I was thinking 'holy where did that come from,' I knew I was moving up, and all of a sudden I'm going for something I never dreamed of.
"A lot of credit to my coach Dave Scott-Thomas who put that notion in my head that I can do that."
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge won gold in 2:08:44, Ethiopia's Feyisa Lilesa took silver in 2:09:54 and Galen Rupp of the United States earned bronze in 2:10:05.
Gillis's 10th place finish was the best finish for a Canadian man in an Olympic marathon since Drayton was sixth at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Hamilton's Reid Coolsaet was 23rd in 2:14:58.
