PARIS – It sounds too contrived to be actual. With lower than 400 meters remaining within the 2024 Olympic marathon on Sunday morning, the race was all the way down to an all-out dash between the 2 quickest feminine marathoners in historical past, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and world report holder Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia. A gold medal and the title of Olympic champion hung within the stability.
Usually in such conditions, Hassan is favored, although Assefa has good velocity herself, having run the 800 meters on the 2016 Olympics (identical to Hassan). A former world champion at 1500 meters, Hassan received her marathon debut in London final 12 months in related style. However as ordinary, Hassan had set herself a problem. She had already run the 5,000 meters in Paris, incomes a bronze medal on Monday. And she had run the ten,000m, taking one other bronze on Friday evening, simply 35 hours earlier than she was resulting from begin the marathon. By the point she started kicking towards Assefa, Hassan already had greater than 38 miles of Olympic racing in her legs throughout the earlier 10 days.
But it didn’t matter. As a result of Sifan Hassan is Sifan Hassan, a very distinctive distance expertise who desires up fantastical feats, then goes out and achieves them. With the spectacular golden dome of Les Invalides for a backdrop on a wonderful remaining morning of the 2024 Olympics, Hassan sprinted away from Assefa to win the marathon in 2:22:55. It was an Olympic report on the hilliest course in Olympic historical past and the exclamation level on one of the spectacular feats in distance working historical past.
Hassan is the primary lady to even try the 5,000/10,000/marathon triple at an Olympics, not to mention medal in all three occasions. By way of Olympic girls’s distance feats, the one one which compares is the triple Hassan accomplished in Tokyo three years in the past, the place she earned bronze within the 1500 and gold within the 5,000 and 10,000. These two triples now stand alongside Emil Zatopek’s 5,000/10,000/marathon gold in 1952 and Paavo Nurmi’s quintuple gold in 1924 as the best a number of endurance performances in Olympic historical past.
Assefa took the silver in 2:22:58 whereas Kenya’s Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri earned bronze in 2:23:10 regardless of falling twice and having to cease to throw up throughout the race.
US Olympic Trials third-placer Dakotah Lindwurm had a really robust run to guide the Individuals. Twenty-seven seconds again at 15k, she thrived on the hills and rejoined the lead pack at midway, briefly main the race earlier than ending Twelfth in 2:26:45. American report holder Emily Sisson, who doesn’t thrive on hills, was twenty third in 2:29:53. Trials champion Fiona O’Keeffe was the newest American to attempt to run the Olympic marathon whereas injured and never make it to the end line. Actually, she didn’t make it 5k and we’re not even certain if she made it a mile as she might be seen means behind the sphere lower than 20 seconds into the published, badly limping. She follows within the footsteps of Des Linden, who dropped out in 2012 London after two miles, and Aliphine Tuliamuk, who was a DNF in 2021 after 20k.
O’Keeffe had not raced since Might and pulled out of the NYC Mini in June with a calf damage, however her coach Alistair Cragg advised LetsRun.com they nonetheless weren’t utterly certain the precise nature of the damage that dominated her out right now. He mentioned she had been experiencing hip flexor tightness within the final week and the difficulty was severe sufficient that USATF advised alternate Jessica McClain to fly to Paris and be able to go if wanted (although O’Keeffe finally tried to run).
The race
Situations had been barely hotter than the males’s marathon in the future earlier, with a beginning temperature of 64 levels and 78% humidity rising to 72 levels by the end underneath sunny skies. Australia’s Jessica Stenson was the early chief at midway, which she handed in 1:13:22 on the entrance of a big group of 20 girls. A couple of minutes later, as the sphere approached the Palace of Versailles, Lindwurm received a while within the highlight as she took the lead.
However it might not final. Lindwurm had been reeled in and dropped by the point a lead pack of 10, which included Hassan 10 meters off the again, started the steep Wall Hill simply earlier than 29 kilometers. By the highest of the hill, a bunch of 4 had separated: Ethiopians Assefa and Amane Beriso (the 2023 world champ), and Kenyans Sharon Lokedi (the 2022 NYC Marathon champ) and Peres Jepchirchir (reigning Olympic champ).
These 4 wouldn’t keep separated, nonetheless, with the likes of Hassan, Obiri and Japan’s Yuka Suzuki catching again up on the steep downhills that adopted, with the leaders protecting the 30-35k stretch in 15:44 (by comparability, that they had run the largely uphill 5k from 15-20k in 18:19). That left a lead group of six at 35k with the notable exception of Jepchirchir, who had nothing after the hills and light to fifteenth in 2:26:51.
Regularly, the group would shrink with Suzuki falling off at 35k after a surge from Assefa and a surge from Obiri at a mile to go dropping Beriso and ultimately, Lokedi.
Approaching a flip with just below 400m to go, Assefa made her bid for glory, however Hassan tracked it. Then: contact! The final quarter mile of the course featured 5 turns, and on the second, Hassan tried to shoot a niche to the left of Assefa because the course veered barely to the left. Assefa moved barely inside attempting to not give Hassan room and there was contact with the 2 girls bouncing off one another as Hassan narrowly averted the barricades to her left. Each girls would keep on their toes and Hassan finally broke Assefa with just below 200m to go to win the gold in one of the memorable finishes in Olympic marathon historical past.
High outcomes and full evaluation seem beneath.
High 12 Outcomes *Full Outcomes right here
Sifan Hassan amazes once more
A month in the past, when Hassan completed fifth within the 1500 on the FBK Video games in Hengelo in 4:04.83, even an optimist would have had a tough time predicting three Olympic medals in Paris. However Hassan later revealed that she had been specializing in marathon coaching like by no means earlier than and felt she was overtraining on the time of Hengelo. After backing off within the month earlier than Paris, her kick was there when she wanted it within the 5,000 and 10,000 and he or she nonetheless had the power to race 26.2 miles on the finish of the Video games.
It can’t be overstated how tough this triple was. Hassan was solely crushed within the 5,000 by Beatrice Chebet (who seems to be like the subsequent nice distance celebrity after profitable the ten,000 as effectively) and one of many biggest feminine runners ever, Religion Kipyegon. Then she medalled once more within the 10,000. That race ended simply earlier than 9:30 p.m. Paris time on Friday, lower than 35 hours earlier than the marathon began on Sunday morning. The evening earlier than the Olympic marathon, most ladies are conserving vitality and transferring as little as attainable. Hassan was on the Stade de France receiving her 10,000m medal (happily the ceremony was on the early aspect, at 6:34 p.m.).
And as if doubling again from the 5,000 and 10,000 was not onerous sufficient, Hassan needed to face among the best Olympic marathon fields ever assembled on the hardest course in Olympic marathon historical past. This race featured three of the 5 quickest girls ever, in addition to the reigning champions in Boston, London, New York, Chicago, Worlds, and the Olympics. But Hassan beat all of them. What a run.
Does this make Sifan Hassan the best feminine distance runner ever?
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Contemplating Hassan has received Olympic titles within the 5,000, 10,000, and now marathon in her profession, together with world titles within the 1500 and 10,000 and main marathons in London and Chicago, there’s a robust case to be made for Hassan as the best distance runner of all time. Whereas Hassan has run quick – 3:51.95 for 1500 and a pair of:13:44 within the marathon (#2 all-time) in addition to since-broken world data of 4:12.33 within the mile and 29:06.82 within the 10,000 – the argument for Hassan facilities round her outstanding doubles and triples. Simply have a look at this checklist:
-Double gold in 1500 and 10,000 at 2019 Worlds-Double gold in 5,000 and 10,000, plus 1500 bronze at 2021 Olympics-Received 2023 Chicago Marathon in #2 time ever simply six weeks after 1500 bronze at Worlds-Double bronze in 5,000 and 10,000, plus marathon gold at 2024 Olympics
All of these feats are unprecedented within the historical past of girls’s distance working, and most are so insane that no different lady would even dare try them. Gudaf Tsegay, who received the 5,000 and 10,000 on the final two World Championships, tried the identical 1500/5k/10k triple in Paris that Hassan tried in Tokyo and completed Twelfth, ninth, and sixth.
The argument towards Hassan is that Religion Kipyegon extra totally dominated a single occasion – she has received six international titles within the 1500 and has the WR within the 1500 and mile – whereas Tirunesh Dibaba has extra complete international golds (eight on the observe, plus 4 extra in XC – a floor Hassan has by no means received on). So it is dependent upon what you worth.
Both means, Hassan is undoubtedly one of many all-time greats, and her feats over the past two Olympics are the form of legendary stuff we’ll nonetheless be discussing a long time from now.
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Hellen Obiri needed to survive a tough race to get the bronze
Obiri hoped to lastly win an Olympic gold medal after getting silver within the 5,000 on the final two Video games, nevertheless it was to not be. But she must be admired for persevering in a race the place virtually all the pieces that would have gone mistaken for her did. Obiri fell down very early within the race at 2k and needed to catch again as much as the leaders, and mentioned she fell once more at 30k and missed two drinks stations, which upset her abdomen and compelled her to cease to throw up.
However Obiri stored preventing her means again to the lead pack, and although she was finally outsprinted for the highest two medals by Hassan and Assefa, she held it collectively for bronze on a tough day. Even when it was not the result she needed, medalling in three straight Olympics isn’t any straightforward feat.
“I had lots of challenges, ups and downs,” Obiri mentioned.
Dakotah Lindwurm had lots of enjoyable on the market however was a bit disenchanted to not end within the prime 10
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It doesn’t matter what occurs the remainder of her life, Lindwurm will at all times have the reminiscence of main the Olympic marathon within the second half of the race. Lindwurm joked that she felt as if she had taken a Mario Kart shortcut to search out herself within the entrance.
“I seemed up and I mentioned, ‘God, you’re loopy, I can’t imagine I’m within the entrance of the Olympic marathon proper now,’” Lindwurm mentioned. “You’ve received to place your self in place to run effectively, and I’m not afraid to take the lead. I by no means have been.”
Whereas Lindwurm was finally a bit disenchanted to overlook out on her pre-race purpose of prime 10, her 2:26:44, Twelfth-place end was very spectacular given the course, the situations, and the truth that virtually nobody anticipated her to even be on this group firstly of 2024.
Lindwurm additionally made certain to soak in all the expertise. She mentioned she encountered a younger American fan round 35k that made her day by working alongside her and shouting her identify – “any person’s gotta discover me this child, I want to present him a high-five” – and crossed the end line with a smile on her face.
“I’m one to at all times react to the gang,” Lindwurm mentioned. “I prefer to be concerned. I really like what I do, and with out the gang, I don’t have a job. So I wish to encourage them, I wish to present them that marathoning is enjoyable. Hopefully somebody on the market thought, oh she’s smiling on the finish of it, perhaps I can run one too.”
And for Lindwurm, right now shall be memorable for extra than simply the Olympic marathon – her boyfriend proposed after the race (she mentioned sure).
Emily Sisson felt three marathons in 10 months was an excessive amount of for her
Sisson doesn’t have a status as a terrific hill runner, however she didn’t assume that was why she underperformed right now by ending twenty third in 2:29:53.
“I truly felt fairly drained earlier than we hit the hills, so I used to be like, that’s not a superb signal,” Sisson mentioned. “However I’m proud I gutted it out.”
Previous to working 2023 Chicago and the 2024 Olympic Trials, Sisson had by no means run two marathons in back-to-back seasons and he or she felt that tacking on a 3rd on the finish was an excessive amount of for her physique.
“I’m fairly disenchanted, I’m fairly unhappy,” Sisson mentioned. “…I had some good exercises and no main accidents or something…however this marathon [build] simply didn’t really feel fairly just like the final two the entire final three months. Simply felt like I wanted to clean up my legs, and I attempted so, so onerous.”
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Two Fast Takes by Robert Johnson on the Hassan/Assefa contact and American athletes DNFing Olympic marathons
Thank God somebody didn’t go down when Hassan and Assefa bumped within the remaining 250m
In the event you watched this one dwell, you had been in all probability shocked if you noticed Hassan and Assefa bump violently with simply 34 seconds left within the race when Hassan was attempting to cross on the within. Having watched the replay a number of occasions, we primarily blame the course organizers. There have been a ton of turns within the remaining 400m that in hindsight had been asking for catastrophe.
When there was simply 45 seconds racing left, Assefa had the lead however the course made a brilliant onerous flip to the left. Hassan was stuffed with run and needed to cross Assefa on her proper shoulder however there was no room to do with out working into the fan barricades because the runners nonetheless wanted to make a small left-hand flip, then one other right-hand flip after which but once more a giant right-hand flip earlier than the end.
So after Hassan realized she couldn’t get by on the suitable, she jumped to the left and dedicated herself to creating her transfer there. The issue was, there was even much less room on the left. The spectator barricades on the left-hand aspect of the course all of a sudden began to chop in at a a lot sharper angle and mainly pressured Hassan into Assefa.
See these two photographs for a visible depiction of what we’re speaking about. (Within the first picture, the yellow line is superimposed on prime of the course’s tangent line that’s used to measure the course. Assefa was working parallel to that, just some toes to the left.)
Hassan was technically within the mistaken. You possibly can’t blast into somebody from behind in a race (sure, it seems to be like Assefa leaned in as effectively, however she doesn’t should let somebody minimize her off). However the course organizers had been primarily responsible because the tangent of the course shouldn’t put you inside two meters of the fan barricades, that are coming in at a sharper angle.
All we will say is thank goodness nobody went down. Underneath the letter of the foundations, Hassan ought to have simply slowed down, however that’s not reasonable to count on at that time within the race (it’s additionally not reasonable for course organizers to count on Assefa to only let Hassan beat her to the pole there). If Assefa had gone down, this might have been a catastrophe because it’s attainable Hassan would have been disqualified. Fortunately, Assefa stayed on her toes and the outcomes ended up being simply.
Officers in Paris mentioned the post-race press convention, which Hassan skipped, was delayed due to a protest within the race – presumably by Ethiopia, although Assefa wouldn’t verify that. The protest was denied.
“I didn’t count on that at that second however that occurs,” Assefa mentioned after the race, through translation. The second a part of her reply might need been misplaced in translation as a result of the interpreter mentioned “it was good that Sifan didn’t push me at that second” however then mentioned “perhaps if she didn’t push me I might need the gold.” She was later requested if the contact destroyed her likelihood at gold and answered merely, “sure.” However Assefa additionally made certain to congratulate Hassan, saying, “I’m so glad for her that she will get a gold medal.”
Rojo’s Rant: One thing must be performed with these injured runners working the Olympics
One of many issues we have to do at LetsRun.com after we get better from Paris is discuss to some brokers to see how shoe contracts work and see if they really require you to run within the Olympics to get a bonus for making the group. We at LetsRun all agreed that if we had been Fiona O’Keeffe, we wouldn’t flip down a big sum of cash just so Jess McClain – the Trials 4th placer — might run the race and end in all probability twenty fifth at finest. What Sisay Lemma did within the males’s marathon was VERY admirable as he stepped apart, however he was changed by a man able to profitable the gold (who additionally occurred to be his coaching companion). O’Keeffe was the USAs’ solely potential medal hopeful on this race.
However to see O’Keeffe on the TV display screen lower than 20 seconds into the race limping and means behind the entire runners was onerous to observe. This must cease. Shoe contracts should be rewritten so individuals can say, “I certified for the Olympics however turned it down as I used to be injured” and never be killed financially.
The individuals who ought to really feel the actual outrage aren’t the American followers, nonetheless. It must be the Aussie followers. A committee picks the Aussie group. Thus to see 47-year-old Sinead Diver drop out earlier than the primary mile ought to make everybody in Australia irate. There was A LOT of controversy about who made the Aussie group and in the long run the committee ran a lady who couldn’t make it mile? Despite the fact that plenty of individuals in Australia knew Diver was damage and the alternate contacted Athletics Australia on July 23 to see if she ought to pack her luggage and head to Paris? That’s disgraceful.
