Olympic champions Sifan Hassan, Tamirat Tola set to light up London Marathon

Sifan Hassan and Tamirat Tola, victors at the 2024 Paris Olympics Marathons headline this year's London Marathon, set for Sunday 27 April. 

It will be the first time back to the TCS London Marathon for Hassan since she won in remarkable fashion in 2023 in what was her marathon debut. 

After falling behind the leaders and seemingly out of contention for victory, Hassan produced a staggering finish on the streets of London to claw her way back to the front and then sprint to victory. 

Dennis Kimetto eyeing April action after Dubai exploits

It proved to be a near-template for her 2024 Paris Olympic Games marathon victory. Having already won bronze medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m on the track, Hassan appeared to be losing contact with the leaders of the Olympic marathon, only to once again find a way to recover and then use her famous finish to win the sprint for gold. 

“It feels so special to come back to the TCS London Marathon. This is where I ran my very first marathon and began my journey in this incredible distance.

London is also where I learned to be patient, to trust myself, and to keep pushing even when it feels impossible. It is a place where I grew, not just as an athlete, but as a person," Hassan, who won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2023 and is the only woman in the history of athletics to win Olympic gold over 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon, told organisers. 

“The TCS London Marathon means so much – not only to me but to so many people. I see people taking part for charity, for loved ones and even children running, many for the first time, at the TCS Mini London Marathon.

This is what makes it so beautiful. I am excited to return, to race alongside the best athletes in the world and to share the course with everyone who is chasing their own dreams.” 

Meanwhile, Tola proved himself to be one of the marathon stars of his generation with his win on the gruelling Paris Olympics course in 2024. It came two years after he was crowned world champion for the marathon in Oregon. 

He also has a TCS New York City Marathon victory on his CV from 2023 but, after four visits to London, his best result to date was third in 2023. 

“Winning the Paris Olympic Marathon was the greatest moment of my running career but I don’t want it to be my last great moment. I want to continue competing for the biggest titles in this sport and the TCS London Marathon is very much one of those.

I know that London always brings the best marathon racers in the world together so it will not be easy, but it is my ambition to win this historic race for the first time in April," Tola says.