Sifan Hassan London Marathon 2023: what was the marathon winner’s time? Nationality, age and results

Sifan Hassan won the London Marathon on Sunday 23 April in arguably one of the most extraordinary races ever seen on the 26.2 mile course. The Dutch athlete overcame what looked to be a race-ending injury to fight back and break the red ribbon on The Mall, winning not just her first London Marathon, but her first marathon ever.

On a day which was going to be Sir Mo Farah’s last ever London Marathon and the elite men’s winner, Kelvin Kiptum, won the mens’ race in a course record time for London, it was the 30-year-old Hassan who stole the limelight with her phenomenal fightback.

Speaking after a thrilling sprint finish with Buckingham Palace behind her, Hassan jokingly said: “I was born for drama.” The 30-year-old continued: “When I woke up this morning I was telling myself I was stupid to run a marathon, and what is wrong with me. I was so scared I even cried and when I talked to my manager I asked him, ‘Why am I doing this?’”.

However, not only did Hassan finish, the Dutch Olympic champion finished in style. Here is all you need to know about the London Marathon’s new superstar, Sifan Hassan...

Who is Sifan Hassan?

Sifan Hassan first began running while undertaking studies to become a nurse. She was originally affiliated with Eindhoven Atletiek and made her breakthrough season in 2013, competing in the KBC Night of Athletics, IAAF Diamond League circuits as well as the European Cross Country Championships and Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix, to name a few.

Hassan competed in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing where she would go on to win Bronze in the 1500. She has since won the 5000m bronze medal at the 2017 event in London as well as winning gold in the 1500m and 10,000m in Doha two years later. In 2019, Hassan also broke the world record for the fastest mile run, completing the distance in 4:12:33, breaking an almost 23-year-old record.

After finishing fifth in the 2016 Olympic finals in the 1500m, Hassan went on to win the 1500m bronze as well as the gold medal in both 5000 and 10,000m in Tokyo five years later. The 30-year-old athlete also has two European Championships to her name, one in 1500 and the other in 5000m; one European Indoor Championships (1500m) and two European Cross country Championships.

Winning the 2023 London Marathon is her first World Marathon major gold. Her victory in the English capital enhances Hassan’s eligibility as one of the greatest female distance athletes in history. When asked about this claim, the former refugee said: “No, no, I’m not the greatest. I’m just OK. And I don’t need to become the greatest. I’m fine the way I am.”

What is Hassan’s nationality?

Hassan was born in Adama, Ethiopia, in 1993 and moved to the Netherlands as a refugee in 2008 at the age of 15. Hassan grew up in the countryside of Kersa, in the Munesa districtt of Arsi Zone of Oromia in Ethiopia but she became a Dutch citizen in 2013 and competes under the Dutch flag.

What was Hassan’s London Marathon time?

Hassan completed her first ever marathon in a time of 2:18:33. She was four seconds clear of Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu who took second place with Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir coming in third. The ultimate winner was forced to stop twice to stretch an injured hip and slipped 28 seconds behind the leading pack with 11 miles to go.

The 30-year-old is a practicing Muslim who recently celebrated the month of Ramadan and when asked about her near collision with a motorbike as she crossed to grab water during the London Marathon, she said: “I didn’t practise collecting my drinks beforehand because of Ramadan. I was nearly hit but I didn’t care as I wanted to finish the Marathon.”