Sifan Hassan further demonstrated his immense ability over all distances and surfaces as he dominated the Chicago Marathon on Sunday (8), triumphing in the second-fastest time in history of 2:13:44.
Hassan’s time was also a European record, knocking nearly two minutes off Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25, which stood intact as the world record from 2003 and 2019.
Thanks to his latest feat, Hassan holds all European records, from the 1,500m (3:51.95) to the marathon (2:13:44). Has there ever been a long-distance runner in history—male or female—with such impressive autonomy?
And the record-breaking performance came less than two months after her daring hat-trick attempt at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest where she won bronze in the 1500m and silver in the 5000m after falling on the first day during her duel with Ethiopia’s Gudaf. Tsegay for the title. title at 10,000 m.
But six weeks of preparation for the Chicago Marathon proved more than enough for Hassan, whose time would have been a world record as recently as last month before Ethiopian Tigst Assefa took the record into the second stratosphere with 2:11:53 in Berlin. Marathon.
Unlike her dramatic first win at the London Marathon in April, where she stopped multiple times, swerved in front of the bike at a drinks stand and had to make up a seemingly impossible gap to the leaders, Hassan’s road to victory in Chicago was relatively straightforward.
The Dutchwoman allowed defending champion Ruth Chepngetich to dictate the fast pace early on, but Hassan pulled ahead of the Kenyan shortly after halfway before breaking away from Chepngetich at kilometer 28.
After breaking the world record halfway through – 65:42 for Chepngetich, 65:48 for Hassan – both athletes began to slow down in the second half. The Dutchwoman’s face was a study in pain in the final kilometers and her form was inconsistent, but victory – and the European record – were never in danger.
After the race, Hassan said: “The first group started at a crazy pace, but I wanted to join this group. I suffered for the last five kilometers. Wow, I won my second marathon again in a fantastic time, couldn’t be happier! Just six weeks ago I fell at 10,000m on the track. I didn’t feel like it then, but today it felt like it! »
Chepngetich lost nearly two minutes to Hassan in the final 12km, finishing second in 2:15:37 with Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu – who was second to Hassan at this year’s London Marathon – third in a lifetime best of 2:17:09.
Great Britain’s Rose Harvey finished ninth in the women’s race in a lifetime best of 2:23:21, moving up to fifth on the British all-time list. Harvey only started running seriously in 2020 after being laid off from her day job during the coronavirus quarantine.
In the men’s category, the Belgian Bashir Abdi won a new podium. The Olympic bronze medalist and European record holder finished third in 2:04:32, the third fastest time of his career.
Jordan Gusman finished 19th in a time of 2:13:13, a Maltese national record.
