Eliud Kipchoge Narrowly Misses Podium Finish as Records Tumble in Sydney

Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge has finished outside the podium in a rare outing, as Ethiopia’s Hailemaryam Kiros and Dutch star Sifan Hassan stormed to victory at the Sydney Marathon’s first running as a World Majors Series event.

Hassan, the Dutch multi-distance phenomenon, set a race record to secure the women’s crown with a time of 2:18:22, blitzing the previous record by more than three minutes.

In the men’s race, Kiros produced the fastest marathon ever run in Australia, clocking 2:06:06 to edge his countryman Addisu Gobena by ten seconds.

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Kiros’ triumph shaved 12 seconds off the previous course best set last year by Kenya’s Brimin Kipkorir, who is currently provisionally suspended after a positive doping test.

The podium was completed by Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana, while Kipchoge struggled and faded to ninth in 2:08:31.

“The last five kilometres, I’m dead,” Hassan said.

"It’s the first major marathon in Australia, in Sydney, and I’m the first one to win, so it’s big history for me. I felt so good in the first 5Ks and I think I pushed too hard. I pushed really hard the last 10Ks. I was like, ‘That’s not really smart. I’m going to pay the price’ but I feel I got away with it. I’m so grateful.”

Hassan’s relentless pace proved too much for a star-studded women’s field.

Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, the former world record holder, was 34 seconds adrift in second, while last year’s champion Workenesh Edesa of Ethiopia came third in 2:22:05. Hassan’s winning time obliterated Edesa’s course record of 2:21:40.

Among the Australians, Leanne Pompeani led the charge, finishing seventh in a personal-best 2:24:47. Olympians Jess Stenson and Lisa Weightman followed closely in eighth and ninth respectively, underscoring a strong local showing on home soil.

For Kipchoge, regarded by many as the greatest marathoner of all time, it was an afternoon of resilience rather than dominance. The 40-year-old dropped from the leading pack around the 31-kilometre mark and never recovered.

“I’m happy to go across the finish line. I have nothing to prove,” Kipchoge said.

“My mission is to bring all the people together. Let us surpass 55,000 [from 35,000], actually, next year to run here. It’s a beautiful course. It’s a course whereby there is no other in this world.”

Australia’s top male finisher was Melburnian Haftu Strintzos in 14th with 2:11:27, ahead of Thomas Do Canto in 16th. Brett Robinson, the former national record holder, came 17th in 2:15:00.

In the men’s wheelchair marathon, Swiss superstar Marcel Hug shattered the long-standing course record with a jaw-dropping 1:27:15. Hug, a seven-time Paralympic gold medallist and the current world record holder, bettered Kurt Fearnley’s 2011 mark by nearly ten minutes and won by more than six minutes over Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki.

The women’s wheelchair division saw American Susannah Scaroni deliver a similarly dominant performance.

The six-time Paralympic medallist stormed home in 1:45:52, comfortably eclipsing the record of 1:54:10 set last year by Madison De Rozario.