Paris 2024 athletics: All results, as Sifan Hassan wins women’s marathon gold in new Olympic record
Sifan Hassan has raced to victory in a new Olympic record in the Paris 2024 women’s marathon on Sunday 11 August.
The Dutch athlete braved the undulating course that wound through some of the most iconic sights in Paris, finishing the race in 2:22:55.
“I feel like I am dreaming," she said after the race. "I only see people on the TV who are Olympic champions. The marathon is something else, you know. When you do 42 kilometres in more than two hours and 20 minutes, then every single step you feel 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 raised eyebrows when she announced she would complete the 5000m/10,000m/marathon treble at these Games. However, her brilliant gold in today's marathon, added to the bronze medals she won over the shorter distances, is proof that the 31-year-old is able to overcome the type of sporting challenges others would deem impossible.
She is now the first woman in Olympic history to medal in that unique combination of distance events at the same edition of the Games, with only the great Czech runner Emil Zatopek matching the feat with the three golds he won all the way back at Helsinki 1952.
Much has also been made about the unique challenges posed by the Paris 2024 marathon course with its steep, gruelling inclines followed by fast downhill sections.
But in front of a cheering crowd that lined the streets of France’s capital, Hassan proved herself strongest, fastest and more determined over the 42.195km race, beating Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia in a sprint finish to cap a remarkable personal campaign in Paris.
Assefa fought hard to win silver in 2:22:58 with Kenya’s Hellen Obiri claiming bronze in 2:23:10.
The remarkable women's marathon of Sifan Hassan
Hassan now has six Olympic medals to her name, with three won at Paris 2024 and three at Tokyo 2020. Her medal haul now includes gold in the 5000m and 10,000m won in the last edition of the Games in Japan's capital and now, the Olympic title over the mythical marathon distance in Paris.
In Tokyo, her campaign included the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m track events, a trio of races many commentators baulked at.
However, when asked by Olympics.com in 2023 why she took on the challenge, Hassan explained that her philosophy is about more than just standing on the top of the podium.
"‘Life is not about gold. I’m lucky to be at the Olympics, there are people that dream about being there," she said, reflecting on her decision. "I’m going to do three [distances], if I don’t get [gold], I don’t get it.' So I just took a risk."
Hassan has dealt with challenges since she was a child who left Ethiopia and landed in the Netherlands without her family. Her love for running - and winning - changed the course of her life after she initially considered a career as a nurse.
While Rio 2016 proved a devastating disappointment for her - after which she briefly contemplated giving up running - the Dutch runner won two golds at the 2019 world championships, cementing her place as one of the greatest distance runners of her era.
Her switch to the marathon came more recently, as she took on the 2023 London Marathon with limited training. On her debut she wowed the watching world with victory, despite having stopped on multiple occasions by the side of the road to stretch her legs.
Victory in the Chicago Marathon followed that same year, but it was her triumph in Paris today that may well go down as her greatest-ever win. Not only did she take Olympic gold, not only did she break the Olympic record, she did both after a gruelling combination of rounds and finals on the track.
"Every moment in the race I was regretting that I ran the 5000m and 10,000m. I was telling myself if I hadn’t done that, I would feel great today," she said following her gold here in Paris.
“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 20km, 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'.”
In the end, it was Hassan who went hardest, writing another chapter in the often astonishing tale of an athlete who dares to go where so many would not even consider possible.
Paris 2024 athletics: Women’s marathon podium
Gold: Sifan Hassan (Netherlands)
Silver: Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia)
Bronze: Hellen Obiri (Kenya)
Find all the results on Olympics.com.