All eyes may be on Sifan Hassan ahead of her New York City Marathon 2025 debut, but the Dutch superstar isn’t feeling the pressure to win.
“I can win, but I’m not going to let that get to me,” the 32-year-old six-time Olympic medallist and three-time Olympic champion told NOS ahead of the race start on Saturday (2 November).
“I can’t just think about winning; there’s no point in that,” she continued. “I prefer to play it. Of course I want to win, but I don’t need that extra pressure.”
Hassan will arrive in the United States’ city as one of the favourites to prevail with four out of six marathon wins to her name since first making her mark in the distance at the London Marathon in 2023.
A career-defining moment later followed at the Olympic Games Paris 2024when, after winning a pair of bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m, she then set a new Olympic record in the marathon, taking gold ahead of Tigst Assefa in 2:22:25.
And Hassan’s marathon conquests haven’t stopped there.
This year, the Dutchwoman opted out of the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo to prioritise the Sydney Marathonand it would be a decision that would pay off in some style after she clocked 2:18:22, marking the fastest time ever by a woman on Australian soil.
Two months on, hopes are high for Hassan in New York, but a strong women’s field, including the last three race winners from Kenya: Sharon Lokedi (2022), Hellen Obiri (2023), and Sheila Chepkirui (2024), will mean she’s not getting carried away.
“The marathon is more than just the race itself; it’s also all the preparation. But every marathon is different, and this course is new to me. I’m running it for the first time; others already know the course,” Hassan continued to NOS.
“They say it’s the best, but I certainly hope it’s not the toughest.”
Hassan will start in the Professional Women’s Open Division of the New York City Marathon on Saturday, 2 November at 08:35 (UTC-5).
