Fabienne Schlumpf (left) and Helen Bekele after crossing the finish line
Image: Keystone
Sifan Hassan defeats Tigst Assefa in the final sprint
Image: Keystone
Fabienne Schlumpf (left) and Helen Bekele after crossing the finish line
Image: Keystone
Sifan Hassan defeats Tigst Assefa in the final sprint
Image: Keystone
Fabienne Schlumpf also impresses in her second Olympic marathon. She finished 16th, while the second Swiss starter, Helen Bekele, came 22nd in the race won by Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands.
33-year-old Fabienne Schlumpf did not quite match the ranking she achieved three years ago. In Sapporo, where the marathon of the Tokyo Games was held in the capital due to the heat, she had impressed with 12th place. However, her performance on the roads in Paris and the surrounding area must be rated even higher than that in Japan due to the field of participants, which included all the "big names" in the sport.
Schlumpf made up many positions in the second half of the race thanks to a cleverly timed run and reached the finish a good five minutes after Hassan. "The longer the race went on, the better I felt," said the Swiss record holder, overcome with emotion, after her third start under the sign of the five rings. "I'm just proud - and grateful to all the people in the background who made this possible," she said with tears in her eyes. Schlumpf made her Olympic debut eight years ago in Rio de Janeiro in her former discipline, the 3000 m Steeple.
Helen Bekele, whose personal best in the marathon is almost five minutes under Schlumpf's Swiss record, was one and a half minutes slower than her new team-mate. Born in Ethiopia, she has lived in Switzerland for eight years and is married to a Swiss man. She became a citizen of her new home country just over five months ago and has been eligible to compete in major events for Switzerland ever since. She has never competed in international championships for Ethiopia.
The battle for the medals turned into a merciless elimination race in the final phase, in which five runners were initially ahead. World champion Amane Shankule from Ethiopia was the first to drop out, after which the Kenyans Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri were also unable to keep up. The winner of two Olympic silver medals and two-time world champion in the 5000 m secured bronze.
Sifan Hassan and the world record holder Tigst Assefa were left behind. Hassan, who was also born in Ethiopia but has long since competed for the Netherlands, overcame her former compatriot in the final meters to win Olympic gold for the third time. In Tokyo, she had triumphed over 5000 m and 10,000 m. She had also been successful in the Stade de France on the previous days. She finished 3rd over the two longest distances on the track.
