By Justin Lagat
In an unprecedented version, Netherlands’s Siffan Hassan won gold on the last day of the Paris Olympics in the women’s marathon event. She set a new Olympic record of 2:22:55 on what many consider one of the toughest marathon courses in the world. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, the world record holder for the marathon, took second to take home the silver medal in 2:22:58, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won the bronze medal in a new personal best time of 2:23:10.
After the race had progressed well into an exciting climax with four runners, including Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi, still in contention for the gold medal at the 40K mark, the podium places were finally decided in around the last 400m of the race when Assefa and Hassan had engaged in a sprint finish, leaving Obiri to struggle behind them. Hassan, who had already bagged two bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m on track, had a more powerful finishing kick that yielded a befitting gold medal for her.
Sunday, August 11th, was the women’s turn to take on the tough course that they had seen their male counterparts do the previous day. Perhaps they had learned some lessons watching them run. But then again, knowing everything about the course and not having trained well a month out to tackle it may not have helped much.
Given that the men’s race had gone to a reigning New York City Marathon champion, it might have come as good news to the Kenyan squad that has all won the individual titles in the same marathon: Sharon Lokedi in 2022, Peres Jepchirchir 2021, and Hellen Obiri 2023. However, the statistics could not work against the 31-year-old two-time world and two-time Olympic champion.
During the first stages of the race, France’s Melody Julien surged and opened a gap shortly after the 10K point, which was crossed in 34:32. The rest of the leading pack seemed to have just let her break away, but then Kenya’s defending Olympic champion decided to close the gap, and the rest followed. About fourteen runners were all together again in the lead pack at the 15K point, crossing it in 51:12.
Australia’s Jessica Stenson, who had been leading after fifteen kilometres, crossed the halfway point in 1:13:32, just two seconds ahead of the chasing pack of about eighteen runners.
The hilly section from around 28 to around 30 kilometres had determined the medalists in the men’s race the previous day after the field was left in a single file behind Tola. But, five women remained in the leading pack after the brutal hill –three Kenyans and two Ethiopians. Four runners would re-attach themselves again in the pack at the descent after 30K. Five crossed the 35K mark in 1:59:43.
As the five approached 40K, the tension and excitement created a tense and thrilling climax; three were going to medal, and two were going to miss out.
With less than 2K to go, Ethiopia's Amane Berisso was dropped, leaving four. Obiri was on the offensive, pushing the pace at the front. Lokedi was the first to lag behind after that, as three remained in the lead with about 500m to go. A sprint finish would put the three in their respective medal positions.