Sifan Hassan achieved the seemingly impossible feat of winning Olympic medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon in the final event of the athletics programme in Paris 2024 on Sunday (11) morning.
And after bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m, Hassan upgraded to gold in the marathon after a frantic sprint finish with Ethiopia’s world record-holder Tigist Assefa in the last kilometre in an Olympic record of 2:22:55.
The pair almost came to blows as they jostled for position around one of the many tight corners on the approach to the finish-line in front of Hotel des Invalides but once Hassan hit the front, there was no doubting the outcome.
"This is much better than what I won in Tokyo," said Hassan, who won Olympic 5000m and 10,000m gold in Tokyo and thus becomes the first female athlete in history to also win Olympic gold in the marathon.
"But this victory is much more than a dream. Ever since I was a child, I've dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion. I succeeded in doing so three years ago in Tokyo. But running a marathon? I never thought that was possible. Let alone that I ever thought I would become an Olympic champion in the marathon,” she added.
On one of the toughest courses in Olympic marathon history, Hassan lost some contact with the leading group on one of the brutal uphill sections just before the 30 kilometre-mark before regaining contact on the steep downhill section back towards Paris.
And the Dutchwoman was then content to bide her time in the lead group, only hitting the front with enterprise with less than one kilometre remaining. And despite the difficult profile of the course, Hassan ran a big negative second split of 69:30 to win the third Olympic gold medal of her mercurial career in an Olympic record.
Hassan won by three seconds ahead of Assefa in 2:22:53 with Kenya’s Hellen Obiri - who was many people’s favourite after her victories on hilly courses in New York and Boston - taking bronze in 2:23:10.
There were three European finishers inside the top nine. Romania’s Delvine Meringor was seventh in 2:24:56 with Israel’s former European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter ninth in 2:26:08.
Mekdes Woldu was the top French finisher home in 20th in 2:29:20.
Steven Mills for European Athletics