Categories: Trending now

Dutch runner Sifan Hassan wins Olympic women’s marathon : NPR

2024-08-12 15:00:02

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands stays ahead of Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa at the finish of the women’s marathon on Sunday at the Paris Olympics. Hassan won gold, adding to two bronzes she won in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races.

Michael Steele/Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Michael Steele/Getty Images

NPR is in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. For more of our coverage from the Games head to our latest updates.

PARIS — Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands just made Olympic history.

With a hard, late kick, Hassan won the women’s marathon in an Olympic record time of two hours, 22 minutes and 55 seconds. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa came in second, three seconds later. And Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took bronze, coming in at 2:23:10.

“When I finished, the whole moment was a release,” Hassan said after the race. “It is unbelievable. I have never experienced anything like that. Even the other marathons I have run were not close to this.”

During Sunday’s race, Hassan moved past Assefa on the inside, trading elbows with her with about 200 meters left to go. Assefa tried to rally, but ultimately could not catch up with her.

The gold-medal performance caps a stunning Olympics for Hassan, who had already won two bronze medals on the track at the Stade De France, in each of the women’s 5,000 and 10,000 meter races. She last raced in the 10,000 meters on Friday, meaning she had just 35 hours to recover ahead of her marathon performance.

Hassan, 31, is the first athlete to medal in all three distance events at a single Olympics since 1952. All told, she ran more than 62 kilometers, or 38 miles, at the Paris Olympics.

“The moment I started to feel good at 20 kilometers, I felt so good,” she said. “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.’”

In the men’s race, held on Saturday, Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola won the gold medal in an Olympic record time of two hours, six minutes and 26 seconds. Belgium’s Bashir Abdi finished 21 seconds behind him, and Kenya’s Benson Kipruto took third.

News Today

Share
Published by
News Today

Recent Posts

Kareena Kapoor’s Next Untitled Film With Meghna Gulzar Gets Prithviraj Sukumaran On Board

Kareena Kapoor is working with Raazi director Meghna Gulzar for her next film. The project,…

2 weeks ago

Purdue basketball freshman Daniel Jacobsen injured vs Northern Kentucky

2024-11-09 15:00:03 WEST LAFAYETTE -- Daniel Jacobsen's second game in Purdue basketball's starting lineup lasted…

2 weeks ago

Rashida Jones honors dad Quincy Jones with heartfelt tribute: ‘He was love’

2024-11-09 14:50:03 Rashida Jones is remembering her late father, famed music producer Quincy Jones, in…

2 weeks ago

Nosferatu Screening at Apollo Theatre Shows Student Interest in Experimental Cinema – The Oberlin Review

2024-11-09 14:40:03 A silent German expressionist film about vampires accompanied by Radiohead’s music — what…

2 weeks ago

What Are Adaptogens? Find Out How These 3 Herbs May Help You Tackle Stress Head-On

Let's face it - life can be downright stressful! With everything moving at breakneck speed,…

2 weeks ago

The new Mac Mini takes a small step towards upgradeable storage

Apple’s redesigned Mac Mini M4 has ditched the previous M2 machine’s SSD that was soldered…

2 weeks ago