'She actually made my life easier' - Sifan Hassan credits Kenyan rival for motivating her next big leap

Sifan Hassan has acknowledged the milestone achieved by her serial Kenyan rival, revealing that it has paved the way for her to make more history.

Reigning Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan has extended a hand of gratitude to Ruch Chepng’etich for making her work easier.

The Dutchwoman has always been known to go the extra mile and try new things but for once, Ruth Chepng’etich has made one of her quests easier, running under 2:10 in a full marathon.

Since making her marathon debut at the 2023 London Marathon where she won, Sifan Hassan revealed that she wanted to do the impossible and she has already managed to do the most when it comes to the distance.

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After her victory in London, Sifan Hassan went to the Chicago Marathon the same year where she ran the second-fastest time in the 42km distance.

Sifan then finished fourth at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon before heading to the Paris Olympic Games where she stunned the whole world to win the marathon. She was fresh from winning bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m before reigning supreme in the marathon, making history.

Now, she wants to attack Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record and she believes it’s is all possible since the Kenyan has already laid the foundation.

Chepng’etich clocked an impressive time of 2:09:56 at the 2024 Chicago Marathon while Sifan Hassan has a personal best time of 2:13:44, a time she set in Chicago too.

"A lot of people say it's bizarre what Chepng’etich did. I think so too, but for me it's also possible. She actually made my life easier. Because I often did things that I didn't know were possible," Sifan Hassan said in an interview with NOS.

"If Chepngetich hadn't been able to do this, I would have had to focus on whether it was possible or not.

“It might be a very long training period. But now that I know it's possible, I have to find a way to make it happen."

But before she attacks the world record, Sifan Hassan will return to the streets of London in April, hoping to reclaim the title she won in 2023. Last year, she opted to start her campaign in Tokyo.

She will face some of the strongest women when she lines up for the race, going up against the likes of Ruth Chepng’etich, Tigst Assefa and defending champion Peres Jepchirchir.