Remarkable climax in closing athletics event at the Olympics sees Dutchwoman complete medal hat-trick after physical tussle with Tigist Assefa
A beautiful backdrop. Crowds packing the streets. A remarkable race that saw the world’s best matching each other stride for stride and came down to a sprint finish. Two athletes almost literally trading blows in the final metres. The victor completing a haul of three medals that defies logic.
The women’s marathon on Sunday really did provide a fitting end to what has been a super athletics schedule at the Paris Olympics.
Given a schedule that also included the 5000m and 10,000m, the fact that it was Sifan Hassan who came out on top was simultaneously jaw-dropping yet not at all surprising.
The Dutchwoman, who contested the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m in Tokyo three years ago, has a habit of ripping up the rulebook and giving herself the most ludicrous of workloads at major championships.
And, having won bronze medals in both of her track assignments in Paris, the 31-year-old deployed the speed that has made her a world 1500m champion in the past to burst clear of world record-holder Tigist Assefa, stretching away on the blue finishing carpet to break the Olympic record with 2:22:55.
The pair even clashed elbows with around 150m to go, Assefa appearing to try and block her opponent. Hassan got through, though, and although the Ethiopian team lodged a protest to have Hassan disqualified for obstruction, it was thrown out by the Jury of Appeal.
Assefa hinted that the clash may have cost her the title but had to settle for silver with 2:22:58, while another former track world champion, Hellen Obiri, clocked a PB of 2:23.10 to take bronze. Her fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi (2:23:14) was fourth which Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso Shankule completed the top five with 2:23:57.
(Getty)
As was in evidence during her London Marathon win last year, Hassan can be a quite brilliant road runner but an erratic one as well and she admitted to having berated herself during Sunday’s Olympic race.
“Every moment I was regretting that I had run the 5000m and 10,000m,” she said. “I was telling myself: ‘If I hadn’t done that, I would feel great today’.
“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?’.
“The moment I started to feel good was at 20km, I felt so good. Then I knew I wanted gold. But everybody else was fresh and all I was…
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