Hassan rules women’s marathon

MANILA, Philippines — Sifan Hassan’s endurance gamble at the Paris Games finally paid off after she sprinted away for Olympic marathon gold in the French capital on Sunday.

The Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete came into the marathon on the back of two bronze medals won in the 5,000m and 10,000m in an astonishing bid for podium placings in three events. She held off Ethiopian Tigst Assefa for victory in an Olympic record of two hours 22 minutes 55 seconds.