Former world record holder and two-time Olympic gold medallist, Eliud Kipchoge, leads the men’s field at this weekend’s Sydney Marathon. Sifan Hassan, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and seven-time European record holder, leads the women’s field in the seventh installment of the Marathon Majors.
Kipchoge, now a 40-plus masters runner, continues to be a serious threat on the roads. For example, just four months ago he raced the London Marathon in a time of 2:05:25. It was just two years ago that he ran 2:02:02 at the Berlin Marathon, a race he has won six times. His best was 2:01:09 and is the former world record. That performance has been bettered just once by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, who clocked a 2:00:35.
The 40-year-old told World Athletics, “This is not only my first time racing the TCS Sydney Marathon, but also my first time running in Oceania,” he said. “Competing in Australia is a huge opportunity for me. Sydney looks like a stunning city with so many iconic sights. It’s going to be a new and special experience for me.”
Sifan Hassan
Sifan Hassan is an Ethiopian who escaped to the Netherlands as a teenager and has represented the country since. She is a six-time Olympic medallist, earning three bronze and three gold. Her versatility is legendary, having earned Olympic and World Championships medals in distances from the 1500 metres to the marathon.
The 32-year-old’s personal best over the marathon distance is a European record 2:13:44. Along with her seven European records, she holds three national records and the world’s fastest known time in the one-hour race, having run as far as 18.930 kilometres over that time.
At the Sydney marathon press conference. Photo credit: NN Running Team / social media: @nnrunningteam
Hassan only began to run the marathon in 2023. That year, she won both the London and Chicago Marathons.
She is an 18-time Diamond League winner over the 1500m, mile (1609m), 3000m, 5000m, and one-hour events.
“I’m really looking forward to racing another Major and experiencing the energy of the Sydney crowds,” she said. “Australia is such a strong athletics nation, and a great marathon needs passionate and loud fans, so I’m excited.”
