Nobody would ever accuse Sifan Hassan of taking the easy route at the Olympics.
Heading into the last 150m of her 10-day Olympics odyssey that spanned three events and 62km, the Netherlands’ runner rubbed elbows with Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia, and then sprinted by her to win the last track event of the Paris Games.
Hassan added gold to the bronze medals she won in the 5,000m and 10,000m.
Photo: Reuters
“I feel like I am dreaming. At the end, I thought: ‘This is just a 100m sprint. Come on, Sifan. One more. Just feel it,’” Hassan said. “Every step I challenged myself, and now I am so grateful.”
Hassan raised her hands and yelled as she crossed the line, before wrapping the Dutch flag around her head. Then, taking in the enormity of her win, Hassan plunged her head in her hands and appeared to weep with joy.
The finish had everything: suspense, speed, grit and feistiness, all against the backdrop of a golden dome glittering in the morning sun.
Hassan, who was born in Ethiopia, finished in an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 55 seconds. Assefa won silver, three seconds behind and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took the bronze.
The Ethiopian team lodged a protest to have Hassan disqualified for obstruction, but it was rejected by the Jury of Appeal. It looked as if Assefa was blocking Hassan before they traded elbows.
Hassan did not attend the post-race news conference, where Assefa said she would have won if Hassan had not impeded her.
“I didn’t expect at that moment it would happen. Maybe at that moment, if she didn’t push me I would have the gold, but anyway, I’m so happy for her that she gets the gold medal,” Assefa said through a translator.
Assefa declined to specify if she asked for the protest or if it was the Ethiopian team on its own.
“I can’t say anything, but she is a good athlete,” Assefa said.
Thirty-one-year-old Hassan now has six Olympic medals. In Tokyo, Hassan won the 5,000m and 10,000m and finished third in the 1,500m.
“She has shown the world that she can do everything,” Obiri said. “People say it’s impossible, but she’s done it. So I say big up for her.”
Obiri had tried to up the pace earlier, knowing she could not take Hassan in a sprint.
“She is so strong,” Obiri said. “No way we could break her.”
Breaking from tradition, the women’s marathon was held on the final day of the Olympics instead of the men’s race.
The marathon route traced the footsteps of an historic march that took place during the French Revolution.
The Women’s March on Versailles in 1789 was organized by women in the marketplace of Paris as they protested the high price of bread.
Jemimah Rodrigues on Thursday hit an unbeaten 127 as India pulled off a record chase of 339 against Australia to set up a Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The hosts finished on a total of 341-5 in reply to Australia’s impressive 338 and ensured there would be a new name on the 50-over trophy tomorrow. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations
Jannik Sinner on Thursday eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 at the Paris Masters to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. A maiden crown in the French capital would return Sinner to No. 1 in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
‘BLOWN AWAY’: With 12 strikeouts and no walks, Yesavage broke the World Series record of 11 strikeouts set by the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Don Newcombe in 1949 Trey Yesavage on Wednesday night soaked in Dodger Stadium, filled with 52,175 fans about to watch him pitch in the MLB World Series, and thought back to starting his season in front of 327 spectators in the low minor leagues. A sandlot story worthy of a movie studio back lot. “Crazy world,” the wide-eyed Toronto Blue Jays pitcher said. “Hollywood couldn’t have made it this good.” Just 46 days after rocketing to his fifth level of professional baseball this season for his major league debut, Yesavage pitched one of the best games by a rookie in World Series history. He set a Fall Classic
RSS