Sifan Hassan engaged in an elbow battle with 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 of the Paris Games on Sunday.
Hassan, an Ethiopian-born racer who runs for the Netherlands, clocked an Olympic record of 2 hours 22 minutes 55 seconds. Ethiopia’s Assefa, three seconds behind her, took silver and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri (2:23:10) 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.
The 31-year-old also won bronze on the track over 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 over 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 42.2km 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.
WATCH | Hassan tops the podium with his third medal at the Paris Olympics:
Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan wins gold in the women’s marathon at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with an Olympic record time of 2:22.55. Hassan also took bronze in the women’s 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races earlier this week.
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.
According to the race management, the silver medal of Tigist Assefa 🇪🇹 is being checked.
I heard that she could be disqualified for bodychecking champion Sifan Hassan in the last 300 meters.
Updates to follow…#Marathon #paris2024 #Athletics
Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, BC, finished 35th, running 2:31:08 in her second Olympic marathon. Three years ago, the 44-year-old finished ninth in Sapporo, Japan.
She made her Olympic debut 20 years ago as a middle-distance runner, finishing 37th in the 1,500 meters in Athens. Elmore ended her running career in 2012, but returned seven years later as a marathon runner.
Strong anticipation for the Olympics
Last September, the former Canadian women’s marathon record holder achieved the qualifying standard for Paris and finished 13th among female participants in the Berlin Marathon in 2:23:30.
Elmore prepared for these Games by finishing second in the half marathon at the 46th Manitoba Marathon in Winnipeg on June 16, running a time of 1:13:09.
In April, she suffered a scare before the Olympics when she had to withdraw from the Boston Marathon due to hamstring tendinopathy, a condition in which the tendon that connects the thigh muscles to the pelvis becomes irritated, causing pain and limited function.
In the meantime, 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.
Peres Jepchirchir, the 2021 Olympic champion from Kenya, finished 15th in Sunday’s race.
WATCH | Tamirat Tola leads the men’s marathon field and sets an Olympic record:
Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia wins the gold medal in the men’s marathon with an Olympic record time of 2:06:26.
