The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan claimed her third medal of the Paris Olympics by winning gold in the women’s marathon with an Olympic record time of 2:22:55. Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa took silver, finishing three seconds behind, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri secured bronze.

After grueling 13% climbs and muscle-pounding descents in the summer heat, Tigist and Sifan were side by side. Tigist, the 27-year-old marathon star who set a world record in Berlin last year, had been training 160 to 200 km per week for this Olympic title. With just 300 meters remaining, the race was still undecided. The Ethiopian-born runner who competes for the Netherlands, true to her signature tactic, lingered behind the leaders for most of the race before unleashing a powerful late-race kick that will be remembered as one of the sport’s finest.

Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso Shankule, who won the World Championships marathon in Budapest in August 2023, finished fifth. Another of her teammates, Alemu Megertu, who finished fourth at the London Marathon, abandoned the race after 25 kilometers.

Tigist Assefa began her athletic career as a middle-distance runner, earning bronze in the 800 meters and silver in the 4×400-meter relay at the 2013 African Junior Championships in Mauritius. She represented Ethiopia at the 2016 Rio Olympics but did not advance past the first round. After 2016, Tigist Assefa never raced on the track again.

An ongoing Achilles tendon injury, which made training in spike shoes unbearable, led Tigist Assefa to switch to road racing. Despite medical experts advising her that she might never run again, her support team encouraged her to focus on road racing.

Tigist said, “They said I wouldn’t be able to run again, but I didn’t accept their assessment. After another check-up in Italy, where I was told I had minimal chance of returning to sport, I came back to Ethiopia on crutches.”

“I didn’t give up. I promised myself I would return and make history. Although I will never forget my injury, it motivated me to work hard. I wouldn’t have reached this point without it.”

“I am extremely happy to have won the silver medal in the marathon at the Paris Olympics. I feel fortunate to have achieved this dream,” she said after the race.

“Today’s race was very difficult, but our teamwork was excellent,” Tigist told sports journalist Bizuyehu Wagaw.

In the spring and early summer, Tigist Assefa won five races and set personal bests in both the half marathon and 10K at the Adizero Road to Records Half Marathon in Herzogenaurach, Germany, and the Corrida Internationale de Langueux in France. Her impressive results earned her a spot in the elite field for the Berlin Marathon.

Ethiopia’s first participation in the women’s marathon was at the Barcelona Olympics, where Addis Gezahegn finished 30th with a time of 2:58:57. Fatuma Roba then secured Ethiopia’s first Olympic gold in the women’s marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Tiki Gelana followed with a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics, setting a record time of 2:23:07. More recently, Mare Dibaba earned a bronze medal in the women’s marathon at the 2016 Rio Olympics.