The 31-year-old Knyazyeva-Minenko scored a personal best for 2021, putting up a distance of 14.60 meters in her third time reaching the Olympic final.
At the 19-mile mark, Tola had made his decisive effort and sped away from the 24-year-old Kenyan but within two miles Kirui had hauled back the lead before surging away immediately and emphatically.