Sifan Hassan aimed to simply finish her race at the Paris Olympics, but her journey turned into a remarkable achievement. The 31-year-old athlete expressed her curiosity about completing the event and potentially earning a podium spot.
What she undertook at the Olympics was ambitious; in Olympic history, only Emil Zátopek has secured medals in the three longest races: the 5000m, 10,000m, and marathon. A devoted fan of Zátopek, Hassan chose to replicate his success by competing in all three events over nine days.
After winning bronze in both the 5000m and 10,000m, Hassan faced the daunting women’s marathon on Sunday. The idea of running the marathon caused her anxiety, as she shared the experience could be quite challenging. Ultimately, Hassan not only finished the race but claimed gold.
Hassan set a new Olympic record with a time of 2:22.55 in the marathon. She arrived in Paris with high hopes and left with three medals from the Games, solidifying her place in Olympic history.
Upon her victory, Hassan expressed her mix of emotions, highlighting her intense focus throughout the race. As she approached the final stretch, she faced a fierce battle for the lead with Ethiopia’s world record holder, Tigst Assefa. In a dramatic finish, Hassan executed a final push, overtaking Assefa and sprinting towards the finish line.
After crossing, Hassan celebrated joyfully, pointing to the sky as she broke the finish tape, marking her achievement as historic.
In addition to her marathon gold, Hassan garnered bronze medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Paris Olympics. This achievement adds to her accolades from the Tokyo Games, where she won gold in the same events plus a bronze in the 1,500m, making her the first athlete to earn Olympic medals across these four distances.
Hassan described her victory as a dream come true and acknowledged the immense physical and mental challenge that completing a marathon entails.
Her record time narrowly surpassed the previous Olympic mark set in 2012, demonstrating her exceptional performance. Assefa secured silver in 2:22.58, achieving her first Olympic medal, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took bronze with a time of 2:23.10.
American runners Dakotah Lindwurm and Emily Sisson finished in 12th and 23rd place, respectively, while Fiona O’Keeffe did not finish the race.
The marathon concluded the track and field events of the Paris Olympics, celebrating Hassan’s extraordinary accomplishments. Remarkably, she only began professional marathon racing recently, debuting and winning at the London Marathon while fasting during Ramadan.
Hassan’s journey to this point has been remarkable. After fleeing Ethiopia at 15, she sought refuge in the Netherlands, where she once felt isolated. Today, she stands as an inspirational figure in athletics, renowned for her unparalleled achievements in the sport.