Cam Levins 36th, Canadian teammate Rory Linkletter 47th on hilly Paris Olympic course

Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., made a late push on a hilly Olympic marathon course in Paris and placed 36th in the men's race on Sunday.

The three-time Olympian covered 42.2 kilometres in two hours 11 minutes 56 seconds.

Levins, 35, was 53rd at the halfway mark, moved to 43rd through 25 km and reached 35 km in 35th.

Tamirat Tola won the gold medal in an Olympic record 2:06:26. The Ethiopian looked back as he neared the line and had time to soak up the applause.

The last non-Kenyan to win was Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich at the London Games in 2012.

Silver went to Belgium's Bashir Abdi in a season-best 2:06:47, while Kenya's Benson Kipruto (2:07 flat) earned bronze.

WATCH | Tola tops men's field and sets Olympic mark in Paris:

Two-time defending champion Eliud Kipchoge struggled and stepped off the course late in the race.

Calgary-born Rory Linkletter was 47th in his first Olympic race, stopping the clock in 2:13:09.

The 27-year-old father of two, who lives n Arizona, kept pace with Levins — the Canadian record holder — through the opening 10 km.

Malindi Elmore, who hails from Kelowna, B.C., is the lone Canadian scheduled to compete in the women's race Sunday at 2 a.m. ET.

She was ninth in the Olympic race three years ago in Sapporo, Japan.