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Sifan Hassan claimed gold in the Paris 2024 women’s marathon with a new Olympic record, finishing in 2:22:55 on Sunday, August 11.
The Dutch athlete proved bookmakers wrong by bresting the tape first among other competitors. She showcased her remarkable endurance and determination in winning the race.
Hassan, who had previously won bronze in both the 5000m and 10,000m, completed an impressive treble at the Olympic Games.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa secured silver with a time of 2:22:58, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took bronze with a finish of 2:23:10.
With just one turn to go in the marathon, Hassan and world record holder Assefa ran alone in the lead: Hassan in her bright orange Dutch kit, Assefa sporting the Ethiopian green.
They both outran Olympic marathon defending champion, Yuka Suzuki, who completed the marathon in a personal-best time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 2 seconds to finish just over a minute behind Hassan.
Assefa led by a step. But Hassan, known as one of the best race finishers in history, summoned a burst of prodigious strength from within.
She veered to Assefa’s left. Assefa stepped toward Hassan to block her path. Then with 150 meters to the finish line, Hassan countered with an elbow, shooing the Ethiopian away and bursting past her to take the lead by herself.
Hassan’s time just edged the previous Olympic record, set by Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana at the 2012 London Games in 2:23.07.
“At the end I thought, this is just a 100-meter sprint,” Hassan said, recalling her exact thoughts in the pivotal moment.