Ronnie O’Sullivan hails Sifan Hassan’s London Marathon triumph as ‘greatest performance of anything I’ve ever seen’

Sifan Hassan’s win at the 2023 London Marathon on her debut in the distance, which saw her overcome injury in an astonishing sprint finish was “the greatest performance of anything I’ve ever seen”, according to Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Hassan’s triumph was all the more extraordinary because of the obstacles she overcame during the 26.2-mile race. At the 15-mile mark, she fell way off the pace after pulling up and stretching out her left leg. She managed to push through the pain, however, and eventually reeled in the leaders with just three miles left to run.

As the finish line approached, Hassan made a mess of collecting a drink from a water station, causing confusion that might have ruined her chances of victory. However, she quickly regained her composure, even offering her bottle to rival Yalemzerf Yehualaw, last year’s winner.

Hassan’s track experience proved decisive in the final stages of the race. She used her speed to pull away from Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir and Alemu Megertu in a sprint finish, crossing the line to a rapturous reception from the crowd.

Hassan’s training for the marathon was made all the more challenging because she was observing Ramadan at the same time, meaning that she did not eat or drink during daylight hours, making her achievement incredibly impressive.

It was a feat that the reigning world snooker champion and world No. 1 O’Sullivan deemed “incredible”, as he told Alan McManus the story of Hassan’s win at the London Marathon.

“[She] never ran a marathon before,” O’Sullivan recounted in the Eurosport studio. “A 1500m runner, 5k, 10k, and she was crying the morning of doing it because she thought, ‘what have I let myself in for?’

“She was stopped after 15 minutes because her hip was sore, so she had to stop, and she had to let the leaders go [while she was] stretching it, stretching it,” he continued.

“She missed her drinks station, so had to stop, run across, get her drink. She offered the other girl a bit of the drink, and then in the last bit, she just zoomed. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

“That was the greatest performance of anything I’ve ever seen,” the Rocket concluded.

Hassan said after the race: “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?’”

When asked if she thought she could win, she shook her head and said: “No way, I thought I was going to stop somewhere because whenever I tried to speed up it hurt me.

“But I thought I should get some experience of running a marathon for the next one. Finishing 100% didn’t come into my mind.”

She also explained the confusion at the drink station and how a close encounter with a motorbike occurred: “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.”

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