Hassan elbows her way to marathon win
Nobody will ever accuse Sifan Hassan of taking the easy route at the Olympics.
Heading into the last 150m of her 10-day Olympics odyssey that spanned three events and 62km, the Netherlands' runner traded elbows with Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia, and then sprinted by her to win the last track event of the Paris Games on Sunday night (NZ time).
Hassan added gold to the bronze medals she won in the 5000m and 10,000.
“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’,” Hassan said. “Every step I challenged myself, and now I am so grateful.”
Hassan raised her hands and yelled as she crossed the line, before wrapping the Dutch flag around her head. Then, taking in the enormity of her win, Hassan plunged her head in her hands and appeared to weep with joy.
The finish had everything: suspense, speed, grit and feistiness, all against the stunning backdrop of a golden dome glittering under the morning sun.
Hassan, an Ethiopia native, finished in an Olympic record time of 2hrs 22min 55sec. Assefa won silver, three seconds behind, and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took the bronze.
The Ethiopian team lodged a protest to have Hassan disqualified for obstruction, but it was rejected by the Jury of Appeal. It looked as if Assefa was blocking Hassan before they traded elbows.
Hassan did not attend the post-race news conference, where Assefa said she would have won if Hassan hadn’t impeded her.
“I didn’t expect at that moment it would happen. Maybe at that moment, if she didn’t push me I would have the gold,” Assefa said through a translator. “But anyway, I’m so happy for her that she gets the gold medal.”
Assefa declined to specify if she asked for the protest or if it was the Ethiopian team on its own.
“I can’t say anything, but she is a good athlete,” Assefa replied.
By simply completing the marathon, the 31-year-old Hassan ran more than 62km. She now has six Olympic medals. In Tokyo, Hassan won the 5000m and 10,000m finished third in the 1500m.
“She has shown the world that she can do everything,” Obiri said. “People say it’s impossible, but she’s done it. So I say ‘Big up’ for her.”
Obiri had tried to up the pace earlier, knowing she couldn't take Hassan in a sprint.
“She is so strong,” Obiri said. “No way we could break her.”
Breaking from tradition, the women’s marathon was held on the final day of the Olympics instead of the men’s race.
Hassan used the same tactic in the hilly, 42.2km course as she does on the oval. She lingered behind the leaders for the bulk of the race before launching a late-race kick that will go down as one of the best the sport has seen.
As Hassan gathered to make her last pass, Assefa tried to block her path. Hassan moved to the inside around a bend.
Assefa tried to squeeze her against the barrier separating the course from the cheering fans.
The runners traded elbows, then Hassan took off to victory.
Hassan entered the Games looking to match Emil Zatopek's performance from 1952, when the Czech runner swept the 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon at the Helsinki Games.
Hassan fell short, but she left a lasting impression.
“She’s inspired so many people,” said Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5000m.