Which runner won the first World Athletics Championships men’s marathon in Helsinki in 1983?

Robert de Castella won the first World Athletics Championships men’s marathon in Helsinki in 1983.

The Australian finished in 2:10:03, defeating England’s Charlie Spedding and Finland’s Martti Vainio. The victory made de Castella the first world champion in the marathon at the newly created World Athletics Championships, then known as the World Championships in Athletics.

De Castella had already become a major figure in distance running. In 1981 he set a world best of 2:08:18 at the Fukuoka Marathon, becoming the first athlete to break 2:09 officially. He later won the 1986 Commonwealth Games marathon in Edinburgh.

The 1983 championship should not be confused with the Olympic marathon or the annual World Marathon Majors races. World Athletics organizes the championships, while the Olympics are staged separately under the International Olympic Committee.