Dutch runner Sifan Hassan made history by becoming the first athlete to win Olympic gold in a distance that spans three distinct furlongs. The triumph came in the marathon, where Hassan clocked 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 55 seconds to claim the Olympic title. Her run also set an Olympic record for the marathon distance, surpassing the mark set by Ethiopian Tiki Gelane at the 2012 Games (2:23:07).
Hassan did not stop there. She is a multi Olympic champion, having previously secured victories in both the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Games in 2021. In Paris, she added bronze medals in the same two track events, extending her diverse Olympic medal collection and underscoring her versatility across road racing and track disciplines.
In the marathon discipline at Paris, Sardana Trofimova, a former Russian who now represents Kyrgyzstan, delivered a notable performance. She finished 14th and set a Kyrgyz national record with a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 47 seconds. Remarkably, Trofimova finished ahead of the current Olympic champion and world record holder Perez Jepchirchir of Kenya in that Paris lineup, highlighting the depth and competitiveness of the field.
Meanwhile, a landmark moment in the marathon history occurred when Kipchoge, then 39 years old, faced a historic outcome. For the first time in his celebrated career, he did not stand on the podium to claim an Olympic medal in the marathon, marking a rare departure in a career defined by consistency and endurance.