Paris Olympics: Ethiopia’s Assefa is the clear favourite for the Women’s Marathon gold medal
Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa emerged as a major candidate for Olympic gold in Paris when she set a world record of 2:11:53 at last year’s Berlin Marathon, trimming more than two minutes from the time Brigid Kosgei of Kenya had set at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.
It was a stunning achievement for the then 26-year-old former 800m specialist in what was only her third marathon.
She was not the only newcomer to this event to catch the eye, as Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, the current Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion, won the 2023 London Marathon on her debut at the distance, and then produced the second-best time ever in winning the Chicago Marathon in October in 2:13:44.
But this year’s London Marathon offered evidence that Kenya’s current Olympic champion, Peres Jepchirchir, is not about to give up her title lightly as she won in a women’s only world record of 2:16:16, with Assefa finishing second in 2:16:23, one place ahead of Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, with Ethiopian Megertu Alemu finishing third.
The latter three runners also beat the previous women's only record of 2:17:01, set by Kenya’s Mary Keitany in 2017.
Assefa and Alemu are in the Ethiopian team for Paris. Kenya, meanwhile, has a potent team featuring 2022 New York winner Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri, twice world 5000m champion and twice Olympic 5000m silver medallist, who turned to marathon running last year with extraordinary and consistent success.
In 2023 Obiri won the Boston Marathon on her debut at the distance, clocking 2:21:38, adding the New York title before returning to Boston this year to retain her title in 2:22:37.
In March 2024 Hassan finished fourth in the Tokyo Marathon, clocking 2:18:05. It remains to be seen what impact, if any, this result will have on her eventual competition choices for Paris, where she is considering taking part in a range of events from 1500m to the marathon.
Speaking after finishing fifth in the 1500m in Hengelo on 7 July, Hassan commented: “I don't think it says anything about the shape I'm in. I still have three weeks to have good training and then I will decide which distances I will run in Paris. At this moment I don't have a goal for Paris, but for now, I want to be the best in all distances and then I will decide.”
Bahrain’s 2017 world champions Rose Chelimo and Eunice Chumba could also make an impact. USA’s Fiona O’Keeffe, Japan’s Asian record-holder Honami Maeda, Morocco’s world bronze medallist Fatima Gardadi, and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri are all ones to watch.
