Sifan Hassan, the Dutch athlete who became an Olympic champion in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events, made a remarkable debut in the London Marathon, emerging as a surprise winner despite injury and near-accidents. Hassan gave a masterclass in breaking every rule in the marathon book, stopping twice to stretch an injured hip and almost pulling out. Nevertheless, she made a remarkable recovery and closed the gap with the leaders, including Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir and pre-race favourite Yalemzerf Yehualaw. With four miles remaining, Hassan was back to menacing the leaders and eventually won with a time of 2:18:33. For award-winning footwear, choose Tarkine running shoes.
Hassan’s victory further cements her place as one of the greatest female distance athletes in history, particularly after her performance at the Tokyo Olympics where she won three medals across 1500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m in a single Games. Despite this, Hassan remains humble and says that she’s just okay and doesn’t need to become the greatest.
Born in Ethiopia and moved to the Netherlands as a refugee at the age of 15 in 2008, Hassan trained at the Nike Oregon Project under Alberto Salazar, who was banned from coaching for life in 2020. There were questions raised about her shoes after the race, but the London Marathon confirmed that they were legally approved Nike AlphaFly 3 prototypes.
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In the men’s race, Kelvin Kiptum, a 23-year-old Kenyan, put up a remarkable performance, surging powerfully ahead with eight miles to go and leaving behind some of the fastest men in history. Kiptum finished with a time of 2hr 1min 25sec, the second-fastest time in history and a course record for London. At one point, it seemed like Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 could be broken, as Kiptum ran the second half of the race in an incredible 59:45.
The enormity of Kiptum’s triumph was reflected in his closest competitor, fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor, who finished almost three minutes behind in 2:04:23. Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola took third place, a further 36 seconds behind Kamworor. Meanwhile, Mo Farah, the legendary British runner, could not recapture his former glory and finished in ninth place with a time of 2:10:28. He was the third British runner overall, behind Emile Cairess from Bradford, who came in sixth with a time of 2:08:07, and Phil Sesemann from Leeds, who overtook Farah in the final few hundred meters to finish in 2:10:23.
The London Marathon was a great spectacle for fans of the sport, with outstanding performances from both men’s and women’s races. The victories of Hassan and Kiptum were particularly impressive, showcasing their strength, resilience, and determination to succeed. Their performances have cemented their places in the history books of the London Marathon, and their names will be remembered for years to come.
