PARIS, Aug 11, (AP): Sifan Hassan traded elbows with Tigst Assefa with 150 meters left in the women’s marathon, then passed her along the railing to win the race for her third distance medal of the Paris Games on Sunday.

Hassan, an Ethiopian-born racer who runs for the Netherlands, finished in an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 55 seconds. Assefa won silver for Ethiopia, and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri took the bronze.
Hassan raised her hands and yelled as he crossed the line, then wrapped the Dutch flag around her head as she celebrated. Wearing an orange bucket hat, she wrapped an arm around Nepal’s Shantoshi Shrestha, whose smile was as bright as the sun pouring down them.

Then, taking in the enormity of her win, Hassan plunged her head in her hands and appeared to weep with joy.
The 31-year-old Hassan also won bronze in the 5,000 and 10,000. By simply completing the marathon, she ran more than 62 kilometers. She now has six Olympic medals. In Tokyo, Hassan won the 5,000 and 10,000 and finished third in the 1,500.

Breaking tradition, the women’s Olympic marathon was held on the final day instead of the men’s race.
Hassan used the same tactic in the hilly, 26.2-mile course as on the oval. She lingered behind the leaders for the bulk of the race before summoning up the energy for a late-race kick that would go down as one of the best the sport has seen.

This one, amazingly, had more the look of a crowded race on the oval down the stretch. 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, and then Hassan took off past Assefa and sprinted in for the win.
She's used to winning the hard way, after all.

Her legend started building three years ago at the Tokyo Games when she was tripped up in the 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: covering a total of 38.5 miles over 10 days with Olympic medals on the line.
Hassan raced in the 5,000 meters last Monday and the 10,000 meters on Friday - giving her roughly 35 hours to recover for the marathon.