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Former winner Sifan Hassan admitted the London Marathon is “in my heart” as she prepares to return to the scene of her remarkable debut in the competition two years ago.
The Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete, in what was her first-ever marathon, claimed a stunning victory on the streets of the capital in 2023 despite stopping twice during the race and trailing first place by 28 seconds at one point.
Since then, the versatile 32-year-old has continued to go from strength to strength over both middle and long-distance disciplines, including producing another breathtaking showing at Paris 2024. There, she won marathon gold with an Olympic women’s record time of two hours 22 minutes and 55 seconds – a feat achieved barely 36 hours after claiming a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres final.
Hassan’s focus is now back on the TCS London Marathon, which takes place on April 27, and she is hoping to enjoy this year’s event more than her epic bow two years ago.
Hassan, who did not take part in last year’s race, said: “If you look back, London is in my heart. It’s amazing, it is almost kind of like Paris.
“I thought I don’t know what I’m going to do, but sometimes it is a miracle, sometimes a miracle happens.
“Miracles happen by doing, by working hard, by practice, by trying, so that happened to me and it’s kind of like that for me, London.
“I really have great feeling there, the way I start (marathon running), I never dream of marathon. It was London, when I finished after London, that’s when suddenly my brain is thinking about Paris – I’m going to do the marathon there.
“Mentally my brain was marathon London, marathon in Paris, Olympics…
“That’s actually my start, it doesn’t matter what happens, I just wanted to enjoy it because I didn’t really see anything (else), I was so focused on myself.
“I was so scared of marathon, contemplating: ‘Am I going to finish, is it going to hurt, what’s going to happen?’. Everybody’s going to say: ‘Oh she’s no good, why’s she tried that?’.
“Or people are going to say that I’ve made a big mistake and this is stupid to do. All the things. I didn’t really enjoy that much of the marathon in London.”
I have so many things, I’m really crazy. If you open my head it’s so many things inside.
Paris 2024 men’s marathon champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia is also set to compete along with five-time Paris Paralympic gold medallist Catherine Debrunner, while her fellow Swiss Marcel Hug will be aiming to secure a fifth successive London Marathon victory in the men’s wheelchair race.
Hassan claimed three Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020, with golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m along with bronze in the 1,500m, and added to her haul in Paris with marathon gold and two bronzes in the 10,000m and 5,000m.
The runner is still aiming to secure personal bests on the track along with her marathon competitions and wants to “see how far” she can go in the next few years in the build-up to LA 2028.
When asked about her goals, Hassan said: “I want to run four marathons in one year, four major marathons.
“I want to see how far I can go, but I don’t know if I’ll do next year then two years, I don’t think so.
“Not this year, but I think maybe close to LA I want to see how I can handle it and I want to see some PB on the track too.
“I have so many things, I’m really crazy. If you open my head it’s so many things inside.”
