Sifan Hassan was a surprise winner of the TCS London Marathon on her debut over the distance.

The Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete’s victory was all the more remarkable because she fell way off the pace, clutching her hip, around the 15-mile mark.

But Hassan, who is the 5,000 and 10,000 metres Olympic champion, reeled in the leaders with three miles to go.

The 30-year-old then survived making a mess of collecting a drink from a water station, but recovered again and even offered rival Yalemzerf Yehualaw, last year’s winner, a swig from her bottle.

Being a track athlete gave Hassan a distinct advantage in a sprint finish and she pulled away from Alemu Megertu and Peres Jepchirchir down The Mall, coming home in two hours 18 minutes and 33 seconds.

#londonmarathon #sifanhassan #winner

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