Joe McConnell
Sifan Hassan capped off a remarkable week by winning Olympic gold in the women’s marathon, after already winning bronze in the two long-distance track events.
Just 36 hours after taking third place in the 10,000m final, Hassan returned to action and won the marathon in an Olympic record time of two hours, 22 minutes and 55 seconds.
The Dutch athlete of Ethiopian origin, who also won bronze in the 5,000 metres on Tuesday, became the first European winner of this event since Romania’s Constantina Dita-Tomescu in 2008.
Hassan Sets Olympic Record By Winning Women’s Marathon
Hassan, a two-time Olympic champion with gold at Tokyo 2020 in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, defeated Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa by three seconds in a final sprint, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took bronze.
“It feels like a dream,” Hassan said. “In the end I thought, ‘This is just a 100-meter sprint. Come on, Sifan. One more. Just feel it, like a 200-meter sprint.'”
How Hassan Won Historic Marathon Gold
Hassan employed the same tactics on the hilly 26.2-mile course that he uses on the track, hanging around the leaders for most of the race before mustering his energy for a final sprint that will go down as one of the greatest ever seen in the sport.
This, incredibly, looked more like a crowded race on the oval at the end of the straight. As Hassan gathered to make her final pass, Assefa tried to block her path and Hassan moved to the inside around a bend.
Assefa tried to push her into the barrier separating the course from the cheering fans. The runners exchanged elbows, then Hassan took off past Assefa and sprinted to victory. Simply by completing the marathon, she ran more than 62 kilometers in races during the week and now has six Olympic medals.
Hassan entered the Games aiming to match Emil Zatopek’s 1952 performance, when the Czech runner won the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon at the Helsinki Games, but walked away with one gold and two bronze medals.
Hassan had an unforgettable Olympics
Britain’s Clara Evans finished 46th, just over 10 minutes off Hassan’s winning time but still her best result of the season, while compatriot Rose Harvey placed 78th and Calli Hauger-Thackery failed to cross the finish line.
What happened in the men’s marathon?
The day before, Britain’s Emile Cairess had finished on a high, taking an impressive fourth place in the men’s marathon won by Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, setting an Olympic record.
Tola took the title in a time of two hours, six minutes and 26 seconds, earning his country’s first gold of the Games. Belgium’s Bashir Abdi took silver in 2:06.47, while Kenya’s Benson Kipruto took bronze in 2:07.00.
Cairess, who had qualified for the Paris Olympics after finishing third in the London Marathon in April, finished fourth in 2:07.29, while Eliud Kipchoge was aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic title but failed to finish the race.
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