Sifan Hassan further demonstrated her immense ability across all distances and surfaces as she dominated the Chicago Marathon on Sunday (8), triumphing in the second fastest time in history of 2:13:44.
Hassan’s time was also a European record, shaving almost two minutes from Paula Radcliffe’s mark of 2:15:25 which stood untouched as the world record from 2003 and 2019.
Her latest feat means Hassan holds every European record from 1500m (3:51.95) up to the marathon (2:13:44). Has there ever been a distance runner - male or female - in history with such impressive range?
And this record-breaking performance came less than two months after her audacious treble attempt at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest where she came away with bronze in the 1500m and silver in the 5000m having fallen on the first day when duelling with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay for the 10,000m title.
But a six week build-up to the Chicago Marathon proved more than sufficient for Hassan whose time would have been a world record as recently as last month before Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa took the record into a different stratosphere with 2:11:53 in the Berlin Marathon.
In contrast to her dramatic debut victory in the London Marathon in April when she stopped on multiple occasions, swerved in front of a motorbike at a drink station and had to make up a seemingly impossible gap on the leaders, Hassan’s route to victory in Chicago was comparatively straightforward.
The Dutchwoman allowed reigning champion Ruth Chepngetich to dictate a hot early pace but Hassan moved a stride ahead of the Kenyan soon after the halfway point before pulling clear from Chepngetich in the 28th kilometre.
Having been on world record pace through halfway - 65:42 for Chepngetich, 65:48 for Hassan - both athletes began to slow in the second half. The Dutchwoman’s face was a study of pain in the last few kilometres and her form ragged but the victory - and the European record - was never in jeopardy.
After the race, Hassan said: "The first group took off at a crazy pace, but I wanted to join that group. The last five kilometres, I suffered. Wow, I won again in my second marathon in a fantastic time, I couldn't be happier! It was only six weeks ago when I fell in the 10,000m on the track. It was not meant for me then, but it was today!"
Chepngetich lost almost two minutes on Hassan in the last 12 kilometres, finishing second in 2:15:37 with Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu - who was second behind Hassan in the London Marathon this year - third in a lifetime best of 2:17:09.
Great Britain’s Rose Harvey was ninth in the women’s race in a big lifetime best of 2:23:21, moving up to fifth on the British all-time list. Harvey only took up running as a serious pursuit in 2020 after being made redundant from her day job during the coronavirus lockdown.
In the men’s race, Belgium’s Bashir Abdi chalked up another podium finish. The Olympic bronze medallist and European record-holder finished third in 2:04:32, the third fastest time of his career.
Jordan Gusman was 19th in 2:13:13, a national record for Malta.