Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa and the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan, who had an intense moment during the Women’s Marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics, are all set to meet again -this time at the iconic London Marathon tomorrow. Their unexpected collision on August 11, 2024, caught the attention of people all around the world, and now the two distance-running stars will once again share the course. With both athletes eager to put Paris behind them and focus on new victories, all eyes will be on London for what promises to be a memorable showdown.
Sifan Hassan won gold in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, setting an Olympic record of 2:22:55 and completing a remarkable medal treble. She held off Tigist Assefa in a thrilling sprint finish, with Tigist taking silver in 2:22:58. In a thrilling showdown between the two fastest women’s marathoners, the pair clashed elbows with 150m to go, with Tigist appearing to block Sifan’s path. Although Ethiopia lodged a protest for obstruction, the Jury of Appeal dismissed it.
Another strong contender is Vivian Cheruiyot, the 2018 London Marathon champion and 2016 Rio Olympics 5,000m gold medallist, who is also set to compete. Meanwhile, women’s world record holder Ruth Chepng’etich has been ruled out with injury.
As for the men, Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola — the Paris 2024 marathon gold medallist and 2022 world champion — is the big draw, alongside Jacob Kiplimo, the half-marathon world record-holder, who will be making his marathon debut. Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso, last year’s winner, returns to defend his title.
Not really sure why this matters, but it seems like the London Marathon is going to be quite the event with all these top athletes competing. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a rematch between Tigst Assefa and Sifan Hassan after what went down in Paris? And with Ruth Chepng’etich out due to injury, it’s going to be interesting to see how things play out among the women. And let’s not forget about the men’s competition, with Tamirat Tola and Jacob Kiplimo in the mix.
All in all, the London Marathon is shaping up to be a must-watch event for any running enthusiast. Whether you’re rooting for Tigst Assefa, Sifan Hassan, or any of the other talented athletes competing, one thing is for sure – there’s bound to be some exciting moments on the course. So grab your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show!