PARIS– Sifan Hassan elbowed Tigst Assefa 150 metres from the end of the women’s marathon, then overtook her at the railing to win the race, earning her her third distance medal at the Paris Games on Sunday.

Hassan, an Ethiopian-born racer who runs for the Netherlands, clocked an Olympic record of 2 hours, 22 minutes and 55 seconds. Assefa won silver for Ethiopia and Hellen Obiri of Kenya took bronze.

Hassan raised his hands and cheered as he crossed the finish line, then wrapped the Dutch flag around her head to celebrate. Wearing an orange bucket hat, she put an arm around Nepal’s Shantoshi Shrestha, whose smile was as bright as the sun shining down on her.

Then Hassan realized the enormous significance of her victory, put her head in her hands and seemed to cry with joy.

Hassan, 31, also won bronze in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. In the marathon alone, she ran more than 62 kilometers. She now has six Olympic medals. In Tokyo, Hassan won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and came third in the 1,500 meters.

Contrary to tradition, the women’s Olympic marathon was held on the last day instead of the men’s race.

Hassan used the same tactics on the hilly 26.2-mile track as she did on the oval, staying behind the leaders for most of the race before summoning the energy for a final sprint that will go down as one of the best in the sport’s history.

Amazingly, this race on the oval track looked more like a crowded race on the home straight. As Hassan pulled herself together for her final overtaking maneuver, Assefa tried to block her path. Hassan moved to the inside on a corner.

Assefa tried to push her against the barrier that separated the course from the cheering fans. The runners exchanged elbows, then Hassan passed Assefa and sprinted to victory.

After all, she is used to winning the hard way.

Her legendary status began three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics when she fell during a 1,500m race but picked herself up to win the race, going on to take the bronze medal.

She hasn’t been quite as dominant in the past two years, partly because she saved up for this feat: running 62.1 kilometers in 10 days and winning Olympic medals.

Hassan ran the 5,000 meters last Monday and the 10,000 meters on Friday – giving her about 35 hours to recover for the marathon.

She entered the Games with the aim of matching Emil Zatopek’s feat in 1952, when the Czech runner won the 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon at the Helsinki Games.

Although she did not manage the feat, she went home with a shining gold medal.

Sharon Lokedi of Kenya finished fourth and her compatriot and defending champion Peres Jepchirchir finished 15th.

After 21 miles (nearly 34 kilometers), Jepchirchir began to fall behind. Then Hassan and Obiri – a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000 meters – joined Amane Beriso Shankule and Lokedi at the front.

Shankule faded towards the end, making it a four-rider race for the gold medal, which became three when Lokedi fell behind on the way to the finish line opposite the Invalides, where the tomb of French Emperor Napoleon is located.

Women have competed in this discipline since the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles – 88 years after Greek runner Spiridon Louis won the first men’s race.

The marathon route is also significant because it follows the traces of a historic march during the French Revolution.

The Women’s March on Versailles in 1789 was organized by women in the Paris market square who protested against the high price of bread, which led to their march from Paris to Versailles.

The route started at the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) and led through the parks and forests that lined the route. Despite the beautiful scenery, the somewhat hilly route with gradients of up to 13% was considered extremely difficult.

Under blue skies, runners admired landmarks such as the Opéra Garnier and the Louvre Museum. About halfway through the race, they passed the royal grounds of the Palace of Versailles – once home to the French royal family – before running through the Meudon Forest back into Paris and past the Eiffel Tower.

After about 29 kilometers, the runners had to tackle a steep hill, and the descent was also tricky. They held their arms up to keep their balance and not fall forward. The Japanese Yuka Suzuki almost collided with a runner directly in front of her.

Suzuki finished sixth behind Shankule.

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AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games