Hassan secures historic marathon victory

PARIS: Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands clinched the women’s marathon gold at the Paris Olympics, deploying her signature late kick to outpace Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa in a thrilling finish. Hassan crossed the line in an Olympic record time of 2:22:55, three seconds ahead of Assefa, who claimed silver. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri earned the bronze with a time of 2:23:10.

Hassan’s victory marks the culmination of an extraordinary Olympic campaign, where the 31-year-old also won bronze medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters earlier in the week. This feat makes her the first athlete since Czech legend Emil Zatopek in 1952 to medal in all three distance events at a single Olympics.

Reflecting on her remarkable achievement, Hassan said, “I feel like I am dreaming. At the end I thought, ‘This is just a 100m sprint. Come on, Sifan. One more. Just feel it, like someone who sprints 200m’.”

Originally, Hassan had planned to compete in the 1,500 meters as well, but opted out to focus on her demanding schedule across three other events, a decision that paid off in historic fashion.