Sifan Hassan won the 2023 London Marathon on her debut in the distance, producing a sensational performance to defeat the Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir and Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu in an astonishing sprint finish.
Hassan, the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion in Tokyo, arrived in London just hoping to complete the race. “I’m going to finish the distance or the distance is going to finish me,” the Dutchwoman said, but she triumphed in one of the greatest fields ever assembled for a marathon.
Hassan’s extraordinary victory came after the 30-year-old pulled up with a leg injury earlier in the race. Hassan had to stop and stretch out her leg before catching up with the leading pack, which also included the defending London champion Yalemzerf Yehualaw.
Hassan reeled in the leaders with three miles to go, and then survived making a mess of collecting a drink from a water station, but recovered again and even offered rival Yalemzerf Yehualaw, last year’s winner, a swig from her bottle.
Being a track athlete gave Hassan a distinct advantage in a sprint finish and she pulled away from Megertu and Jepchirchir down The Mall, coming home in two hours 18 minutes and 33 seconds.
More follows
