Olympic marathon champion Hassan opts for Sydney ahead of worlds

Reigning Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan plans to skip the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, instead preferring to be part of history in Sydney.

The Dutch multi-distance superstar is one of the marquee drawcards at Sunday’s Sydney Marathon, which will be run for the first time as one of the elite World Marathon Majors, joining the likes of London, New York and Boston.

Hassan, who was born in Ethiopia, said the turnaround for the world championships barely two weeks later was too tight.

“In two weeks or three weeks I don’t even know if I’m going to recover,” Hassan, 32, told reporters. “Like the first couple of days, I barely walk after a marathon.

“It was a hard decision for me because… I have never skipped any world championships (since her debut in 2015).

“But I really want to be part of the Sydney Marathon because it’s the first major marathon (in Australia). Who doesn’t want to be part of the first major marathon?”

The world championships are on September 13-21.

Hassan won the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and came third over 1500m, so has fond memories of the Japanese capital.

“I really thought about it. I really thought about what to do, but my heart really wanted to be (in Sydney),” she said.

Pre-race favourite Hassan will be joined on the starting line by defending Sydney champion Workenesh Edesa Gurmesa and Kenya’s five-time major winner Brigid Kosgei.

Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge is the headline attraction in the men’s field.