Sifan Hassan wins gold in Paris  women’s marathon

PARIS — Sifan Hassan capped off a remarkable week by winning gold in the women’s marathon on Sunday, achieving an unprecedented feat in her bid to medal in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and marathon at the Olympics.

No athlete had attempted to compete in all three distances in 40 years, with only one other, the legendary Czech runner Emil Zátopek, having ever medaled in all three events. Zátopek swept the gold medals in all three at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Hassan set a new Olympic record in the marathon with a time of 2:22:55. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won silver, and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took bronze.

Sifan Hassan :

“I have no words. Every moment in the race, I was regretting that I ran the 5,000m and 10,000m. I was telling myself if I hadn’t done that, I would feel great today,” Hassan said after the race.

“From the beginning to the end, it was so hard. Every step of the way, I was thinking, ‘Why did I do that? What is wrong with me?’ If I hadn’t done it, I would feel so comfortable here.

“The moment I started to feel good at 20 kilometers, I felt so good. Then I knew I wanted gold. But everybody else was fresh, and all I was thinking was, ‘When are they going to break? They’re going to go hard, they’re going to go hard.'”

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Hassan entered the marathon after already completing 50 laps on the Stade de France track earlier in the week, earning bronze medals in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. The latter race took place just 36 hours before the marathon.

The 31-year-old had expressed her fear of the marathon all week, even while competing in her other events. “I’m freaking scared for the marathon,” she said on Monday. On Saturday, she quoted Muhammad Ali on Instagram, saying: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”

Despite her fears, Hassan delivered a gutsy performance, staying with the leading pack through the hilly Paris course. She surged ahead once the course flattened, sprinting alongside Assefa and Obiri in the final stretch. Obiri was the first to drop back, and Hassan ultimately outpaced Assefa, bumping shoulders with the Ethiopian runner as she raced to the finish line to become the Olympic champion.

“I feel like I am dreaming. I only see people on the TV who are Olympic champions,” Hassan said. “The marathon is something else, you know. When you do 42 kilometers in more than two hours and 20 minutes, every single step feels so hard and so painful.

“When I finished, the whole moment was a release. It is unbelievable. I have never experienced anything like that. Even the other marathons I have run were not close to this.

“When I finished, I couldn’t stop celebrating. I was feeling dizzy. I wanted to lie down. Then I thought, ‘I am the Olympic champion. How is this possible?'”

Hassan’s victory means she has now won Olympic medals in events ranging from the 1,500 meters to the marathon, showcasing her incredible range of track speed and endurance. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she completed another treble, winning bronze in the 1,500 meters, along with gold in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.

The Paris marathon course was the same grueling route used for the men’s race the previous day. It started outside Paris’ city hall, Hôtel de Ville, and passed by landmarks such as the Palais Garnier opera house, Place Vendôme, the Louvre Museum, the Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower, and the Palace of Versailles. Hassan crossed the finish line with a final sprint along the scenic home stretch in the shadow of the Esplanade des Invalides.

“I am Olympic champion,” Hassan said. “What can I say? In the marathon.”

Even fellow athletes marveled at her achievement.

“She is amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing. She’s just awesome,” Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi said. “Who can do that? Who can come from track and win the marathon?

“I feel like I just want to be her.”