OLYMPIC TRACK & FIELD competition came to a climatic conclusion as Tigst Assefa and Sifan Hassan, history’s two fastest marathoners, matched strides and elbows over a wild and furious finishing sprint with Hassan crossing first in an Olympic Record 2:22:55.
Assefa claimed silver 3 seconds back, followed by the Kenyan duo of Hellen Obiri (3rd in 2:23:10) and Sharon Lokedi (4th in 2:23:14), and Ethiopian Amane Beriso (5th in 2:23:57).
Sifan’s performance was the perfect Olympic closer, improbable as it was her fourth race and third medal of the Games. The 31-year-old Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete followed her 5000 and 10,000 bronze medal races, winning an epic road competition over an epic course.
Appropriately, after hitting the finish banner Hassan’s first reaction was an “It’s over” swipe of her hands.
“When I finished, the whole moment was a release,” she said. “I couldn’t stop celebrating. I was never more focused in my life, until that moment. For 2 hours, I was focused every step.”
Given the dynamic finish, this race was very much a 40K tempo run leading into a 2.2K dash for medals. With the leading contenders in no hurry, Australia’s Jessica Stenson led a pack of 20 runner across the halfway mat in 73:22, and a few minutes later the top U.S. finisher, Dakotah Lindwurm, bobbed into the lead.
The front group was reduced to a dozen at the base of the “Wall Hill” at 28K. Assefa and world champ Beriso led the climb, along with Lokedi, while Hassan fell 20m back on the steepest 14% slopes at the start of the climb, but fought through it and closed the gap cresting the hill.
A pack of 9 regrouped atop the hill before barreling down a steep descent with Assefa at the front. Despite her history of having been meticulously paced by men in her super-fast marathons, Assefa acquitted herself well in her first championship race. She led for much of the second half, pushing the tempo and thinning out the lead pack.
Defending Olympic champ Peres Jepchirchir let go at 33K, Romania’s Delvine Meringor slid back at 35K, and Japan’s Yuka Suzuki let go at 37K, leaving a most formidable fivesome of Assefa, Hasan, Beriso, Obiri and Lokedi hitting the 40K aid station for some fuel for the stretch run.
After working the bottles, the Kenyan pair went to the front and picked up the pace, beyond what Beriso could manage.
Lokedi couldn’t afford to wait for a sprint finish and dug deep as the remaining quartet passed 41K, pushing hard until her gambit played out 800m from the finish.
Assefa took over, with Obiri moving to her side, cueing for the sprint. Veteran-of-the-track Obiri admitted, “I knew that Sifan was there, so I was prepared for the kick.”
There would be no kick for Obiri as she couldn’t hang onto Assefa’s ever-quickening tempo. Dashing down the road, Assefa swung into a left turn 300m out with a stride lead and only Hassan giving chase.
Only Hassan, right. Try as she might, Assefa even with the sprint of a former 800-meter Olympian, could not hold off Hassan in full flight. While this result might have been inevitable, a race of this caliber deserved a better finish than the narrow set of chicane curves in the final 300 with crisscrossing tangent lines.
When Hassan tried to pass Assefa in the third bend, the athletes’ arms bumped, and Hassan maintained her speed while Assefa stumbled for a couple of strides — gold and silver decided right there without the full drama of a sprint to the finish line.
Hassan had zipped the final 2195m in 6:45 (4:57 mile pace) and closed over the second half in 69:30.
“I am grateful I didn’t push myself too much on the track,” she said. “I was scared of this race.”
WOMEN’S MARATHON RESULTS
(August 11)
(temperature 66-79F/19-26C; humidity 66-47%)
1. Sifan Hassan (Neth) 2:22:55 (OR)
(17:28, 17:10 [34:38], 16:36 [51:14], 18:21 [69:35], half-1:13:25, 17:02 [1:26:37], 17:25 [1:44:02], 15:41 [1:59:43], 16:27 [2:16:10], 6:45)
(1:13:25/69:30);
2. Tigst Assefa (Eth) 2:22:58 (1:13:25/69:33);
3. Hellen Obiri (Ken) 2:23:10 PR (1:13:25/69:45);
4. Sharon Lokedi (Ken) 2:23:14 PR (1:13:25/69:49);
5. Amane Beriso (Eth) 2:23:57 (1:13:25/1:10:32);
6. Yuka Suzuki (Jpn) 2:24:02 PR (1:13:25/1:10:37);
7. Delvine Meringor (Rom) 2:24:56 (1:13:25/1:11:31);
8. Stella Chesang (Uga) 2:26:01 (1:13:25/1:12:36);
9. Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (Isr) 2:26:08; 10. Eunice Chumba (Bhr) 2:26:10; 11. Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi (Mor) 2:26:30; 12. Dakotah Lindwurm (US) 2:26:44 (1:13:25/1:13:19); 13. Jessica Stenson (Aus) 2:26:45; 14. Sardana Trofimova (Kir) 2:26:47; 15. Peres Jepchirchir (Ken) 2:26:51; 16. Fabienne Schlumpf (Swi) 2:28:10; 17. Majida Maayouf (Spa) 2:28:35; 18. Thalía Valdivia (Per) 2:29:01; 19. Hanne Verbruggen (Bel) 2:29:03; 20. Mekdes Woldu (Fra) 2:29:20; 21. Florencia Borelli (Arg) 2:29:29; 22. Helen Bekele (Swi) 2:29:43; 23. Emily Sisson (US) 2:29:53 (1:13:49/1:16:04); 24. Genevieve Gregson (Aus) 2:29:56; 25. Meritxell Soler (Spa) 2:29:56; 26. Tereza Hrochová (CzR) 2:30:00; 27. Citlali Moscote (Mex) 2:30:03; 28. Fionnuala McCormack (Ire) 2:30:12; 29. Domenika Mayer (Ger) 2:30:14; 30. Sofiya Yaremchuk (Ita) 2:30:20; 31. Mokulube Makatise (Les) 2:30:20 PR; 32. Cian Oldknow (SA) 2:30:29; 33. Zhanna Mamazhanova (Kaz) 2:30:51; 34. Tigist Gashaw (Bhr) 2:30:53;
35. Malindi Elmore (Can) 2:31:08; 36. Aleksandra Lisowska (Pol) 2:31:10; 37. Irvette van Zyl (SA) 2:31:14; 38. Laura Hottenrott (Ger) 2:31:19; 39. Kaoutar Farkoussi (Mor) 2:31:34; 40. Magdalena Shauri (Tan) 2:31:58; 41. Daiana Ocampo (Arg) 2:32:02; 42. Esther Navarrete (Spa) 2:32:07; 43. Rose Chelimo (Bhr) 2:32:08; 44. Rebecca Cheptegei (Uga) 2:32:14; 45. Gerda Steyn (SA) 2:32:51; 46. Clara Evans (GB) 2:33:01; 47. Khishigsaikhan Galdabrakh (Mgl) 2:33:26; 48. Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (Mgl) 2:33:27; 49. Maor Tiyouri (Isr) 2:33:37; 50. Anne Luijten (Neth) 2:33:42; 51. Mao Ichiyama (Jpn) 2:34:13; 52. Carolina Wikström (Swe) 2:34:20; 53. Mary Zenaida Granja (Ecu) 2:34:34; 54. Marie Perrier (Mri) 2:34:56; 55. Julia Mayer (Aut) 2:35:14; 56. Gladys Tejeda (Per) 2:35:36; 57. Susana Santos (Por) 2:35:57; 58. Dolshi Tesfu (Eri) 2:36:30; 59. Deshun Zhang (Chn) 2:36:47; 60. Camille French (NZ) 2:37:21; 61. Silvia Patricia Ortiz (Ecu) 2:37:23; 62. Luz Mery Rojas (Per) 2:37:24; 63. Margarita Hernández (Mex) 2:37:24; 64. Angelika Mach (Pol) 2:37:56;
65. Camilla Richardsson (Fin) 2:38:02; 66. Moira Stewartová (CzR) 2:38:07; 67. Giovanna Epis (Ita) 2:38:26; 68. Helaria Johannes (Nam) 2:38:36; 69. Mercyline Chelangat (Uga) 2:39:40; 70. Meline Rollin (Fra) 2:40:17; 71. Bojana Bjeljac (Cro) 2:41:13; 72. Yuyu Xia (Chn) 2:42:10; 73. Rosalba Chacha (Ecu) 2:42:14; 74. Melody Julien (Fra) 2:42:32; 75. Angie Orjuela (Col) 2:42:57; 76. Li Bai (Chn) 2:44:44; 77. Clementine Mukandanga (Rwa) 2:45:40; 78. Rose Harvey (GB) 2:51:03; 79. Santoshi Shrestha (Nep) 2:55:06; 80. Kinzang Lhamo (Bhu) 3:52:59 PR;
… dnf—Matea Parlov Koštro (Cro), Rahma Tahiri (Mor), Chloe Herbiet (Bel), Alemu Megertu (Eth), Calli Hauger-Thackery (GB), Rutendo Nyahora (Zim), Melat Kejeta (Ger), Jackline Sakilu (Tan), Joan Chelimo (Rom), Sinead Diver (Aus), Fiona O’Keeffe (US).
(5K leader splits: Chumba 17:24; Assefa 34:32; Obiri 51:12; Salpeter 69:31; Stenson 1:13:22 [half]; Salpeter 1:26:34; Lokedi 1:43:59, 1:59:43, 2:16:09)
