Olympic champion Hassan and Kiros smash course records to win Sydney Marathon
Decision to skip World Athletics Championships pays off for Sifan Hassan in utterly dominant display
Untouchable Olympic champion Sifan Hassan shattered the course record to surge home first in a historic Sydney Marathon on Sunday, with Hailemaryam Kiros matching her feat in the men’s race.
Run for the first time as one of the elite World Marathon Majors, Hassan was utterly dominant, clocking a blistering two hours, 18 minutes and 22 seconds ahead of Kenya’s former world record holder Brigid Kosgei, who finished in 2:18:56.
Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa Gurmesa, who was third, won the race last year in a then-record time, but Dutch multi-distance superstar Hassan obliterated it by more than three minutes.
Hassan, who will skip the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month after opting to prioritise Sydney, admitted she almost misjudged her race.
“I pushed too hard and I learnt a lesson,” said the Ethiopian-born 32-year-old who has also won majors at London and Chicago. “I was so done the last 10k.
“It’s amazing, I’m really grateful,” she added. “I’m so happy to win with a course record. It’s history, it’s the first major marathon [in Sydney] and I’m the first winner.”