Dutch runner accepts marathon gold medal in a hijab

PARIS, France — Nobody will ever accuse Sifan Hassan of taking the easy route at the Olympics.

Heading into the last 150 meters of her 10-day Olympics odyssey that spanned three events and 38 miles (62 kilometers), the Netherlands' runner traded elbows with Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia, and then sprinted by her to win the last track event of the Paris Games.

Hassan added gold to the bronze medals she won in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.

“I feel like I am dreaming. At the end, I thought, ‘This is just a 100-meter sprint. Come on, Sifan. One more. Just feel it,'" Hassan said. "Every step I challenged myself, and now I am so grateful.”

Hassan raised her hands and yelled as she crossed the line, before wrapping the Dutch flag around her head. Then, taking in the enormity of her win, Hassan plunged her head in her hands and appeared to weep with joy.

Hassan, wearing a hijab, stepped onto the platform to accept gold at the Closing Ceremony in a country that does not allow its own athletes to wear the headscarf.

The hijab ban in France became an issue for the Games’ opening ceremony, after French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla said she was initially not allowed to participate because she wears hijab. In the end, she wore a cap to cover her hair, after reaching an agreement with the French Olympic Committee.

The finish had everything: suspense, speed, grit and feistiness, all against the stunning backdrop of a golden dome glittering under the morning sun.

Hassan, an Ethiopia native, finished in an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 55 seconds. Assefa won silver, three seconds behind, and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took the bronze.

The Ethiopian team lodged a protest to have Hassan disqualified for obstruction, but it was rejected by the Jury of Appeal. It looked as if Assefa was blocking Hassan before they traded elbows.

Hassan did not attend the post-race news conference, where Assefa said she would have won if Hassan hadn’t impeded her.

“I didn’t expect at that moment it would happen. Maybe at that moment, if she didn’t push me I would have the gold,” Assefa said through a translator. “But anyway, I’m so happy for her that she gets the gold medal.”

Assefa declined to specify if she asked for the protest or if it was the Ethiopian team on its own.

“I can’t say anything, but she is a good athlete,” Assefa replied.

By simply completing the marathon, the 31-year-old Hassan ran more than 38 miles. She now has six Olympic medals. In Tokyo, Hassan won the 5,000 and 10,000 and finished third in the 1,500.

“She has shown the world that she can do everything," Obiri said. "People say it’s impossible, but she’s done it. So I say 'Big up’ for her."

Obiri had tried to up the pace earlier, knowing she couldn't take Hassan in a sprint.

“She is so strong," Obiri said. "No way we could break her.”

Breaking from tradition, the women’s marathon was held on the final day of the Olympics instead of the men’s race.

Hassan used the same tactic in the hilly, 26.2-mile course as she does on the oval. She lingered behind the leaders for the bulk of the race before launching a late-race kick that will go down as one of the best the sport has seen.

As Hassan gathered to make her last pass, Assefa tried to block her path. Hassan moved to the inside around a bend.

Assefa tried to squeeze her against the barrier separating the course from the cheering fans. The runners traded elbows, then Hassan took off to victory.

Hassan's legend started building three years ago at the Tokyo Games when she was tripped up in a heat of the 1,500 but scrambled to her feet to win the race. She then went on to claim the bronze.

She wasn’t as dominant over the past two years, in part because she was storing up for this feat.

After the 5,000 meters last Monday and the 10,000 meters on Friday, Hassan had roughly 35 hours to recover for the marathon.

She entered the Games looking to match Emil Zatopek's performance from 1952, when the Czech runner swept the 5,000, 10,000 and the marathon at the Helsinki Games.

Hassan fell short, but she left a lasting impression.

"She’s inspired so many people,” said Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000 meters.

Sharon Lokedi of Kenya was fourth on Sunday, and defending champion Peres Jepchirchir, her compatriot, placed 15th.

After 21 miles (almost 34 kilometers), Jepchirchir started falling back. That’s when Hassan and Obiri joined Amane Beriso Shankule and Lokedi at the front.

Shankule dropped off the pace near the end, making it a four-way race for gold, which became three when Lokedi fell back on the approach to the finish opposite the gold-domed Invalides monument, site of French emperor Napoleon’s tomb.

The marathon route traced the footsteps of an historic march that took place during the French Revolution.

The Women’s March on Versailles in 1789 was organized by women in the marketplace of Paris as they protested the high price of bread, leading to their trek from Paris to Versailles.

Starting out from Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), the somewhat hilly route passed through the parks and forests. Runners took in landmarks such as Opéra Garnier and the Louvre museum.

About halfway through, they passed near the regal grounds of the Palace of Versailles — once the home of French royalty — before doubling back toward Paris.