Sifan Hassan won the 2023 London Marathon women’s race on her debut over the distance. She overcame injury and produced a sensational performance to finish the course in 2:18:33 hours, ahead of the Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir and Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu.
Sifan Hassan, who is the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion in Tokyo, made a strong final sprint and overtook the big favorites for the gold. Alemu Megertu remained the runner-up to the winner, while Peres Jepchirchir was third.
The Dutchwomen victory came after she pulled up and stretched out her left leg 15 miles in, falling way off the pace. However, she recovered and found enough power to finish the distance, even making strong final meters.
“London has been my dream. And now here I am, I was doubting that I could even finish. This is just amazing. I will never forget this in my whole life. I enjoyed it so much. They said the marathon would hurt but I felt really good, even after 5km and 15km! When I saw the finish line, I thought, is that really it?”, said Sifan Hassan after the victory.
Sifan Hassan is an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She completed an unprecedented triple at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, winning gold medals in both the 5,000m and 10,000m and a bronze medal for the 1,500m. She is the only athlete in Olympic history to win medals across a middle-distance event and both long-distance races in a single Games. She is only the second woman to complete an Olympic distance double.
