Sifan Hassan endures gruelling schedule to collect Olympic marathon gold, wins hearts with powerful gesture

The final set of medals in the Paris Olympics were handed out during the grand closing ceremony that took place in Stade de France in the French capital on Sunday.

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Netherlands distance runner Sifan Hassan became the last recipient of a gold medal in the Paris Olympics after winning the women’s marathon event, with Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri collecting silver and bronze respectively. Hassan won the event with a timing of 2:22:55 — an Olympic record — while Assefa, who traded elbows with the eventual champion towards the end of the race, finished just three seconds behind her. Obiri finished the race with a timing of 2:23:10.

It was perhaps the most special medal ceremony of them all given the attention of the global television and streaming audience was fixed of the three ladies standing on the podium at the multi-sporting venue that was specially decked up for the final act of the 33rd Olympic Games.

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For Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Hassan, the medal was her third gold at the Olympics and her sixth medal overall at the world’s biggest multi-sporting event. What made her feat even more special was the fact that while she had raced in the women’s 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m events in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, she decided to replace 1,500m with an event as gruelling as the marathon in Paris while retaining the other two.

It was the first since Czech Republic’s Emil Zatopek in the 1952 Games in Helsinki that an athlete had medalled in three long-distance events at the Olympics.

For the second consecutive time in the Olympics, Hassan medalled in all three distance running events, winning bronze in 5K and 10K. Only this time the path to three podium finishes was all the more gruelling thanks to the marathon. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the 10,000m race had taken place just two days before the marathon, hardly giving Hassan the time to recover.

And yet, Hassan managed to find the energy for a final burst to seize the lead towards the end of the race after lingering behind for the most part. She would fall on the blue carpet the moment she crossed the finish line before draping herself in the Dutch flag to celebrate.

By winning women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan has won six medals across two Olympics covering a total distance of 62 kilometres. AP

“It was not easy. It was so hot, but I was feeling OK. I’ve never pushed myself through to the finish line as I did today,” said Hassan, 31.

“Every moment in the race I was regretting that I ran the 5,000m and 10,000m. I was telling myself if I hadn’t done that, I would feel great today.

“From the beginning to the end, it was so hard. Every step of the way. I was thinking, ‘Why did I do that? What is wrong with me?’ Hassan added.

Hassan’s special hijab gesture

What stood out in the medal ceremony at Stade de France was Hassan’s choice to don a hijab, or a traditional head scarf worn by Muslim women that French female athletes were banned from wearing in the Paris Olympics.

France, after all, has passed laws outlawing burqas as well as other number of other clothing items that come under the purview of face masks and would later pass similar measures against hijabs. French female athletes were not exempted from the rule during the Paris Games either, and thus could not don hijabs although competitors from other parts of the world including Australian boxer Tina Rahimi could.

Hassan’s gesture, thus, was a powerful one given it took a stand against France’s hijab ban that has long been criticised not just by its Muslim citizens but also by human rights groups.