Sifan Hassan Wins Marathon As Olympic Endurance Gamble Pays Off

Sifan Hassan's endurance gamble at the Paris Games finally paid off after she sprinted away for Olympic marathon gold in the French capital on Sunday. The Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete came into the marathon on the back of two bronze medals won in the 5,000m and 10,000m in an astonishing bid for podium placings in three events.

And Hassan did not disappoint, holding off Ethiopian Tigst Assefa for victory in an Olympic record of 2hr 22min 55sec. It mirrored Hassan's efforts in the Covid-hit Tokyo Games three years ago when she also won three medals: two golds (5,000m, 10,000m) and a bronze (1500m).

She also became the first athlete since Emil Zatopek in 1952 to take medals in the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon in a single Games.