Home > Runs & Races

Olympic champion Sifan Hassan to return to 2025 London Marathon

Hassan will be aiming to win her fourth marathon in just her fifth attempt at the distance

Sifan Hassan 2024 Olympics Photo by: Kevin Morris

Paris Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan is set to return to the race where she first etched her name in marathon history—the London Marathon. On April 27, Hassan will join 50,000 runners in her first marathon since her Olympic gold-medal triumph in August.

Hassan will headline the women’s elite field in the British capital as she looks to claim her fourth marathon victory in just five attempts at the distance. (The only marathon she did not win was a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon.)

The last time Hassan ran London, it was her unforgettable marathon debut. She went viral for her remarkable come-from-behind victory after stopping mid-race to stretch. Despite falling behind, she chased down Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir and Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu in the final five kilometres to secure the win. Later that year, she followed her 2023 London triumph with another marathon victory in Chicago, where she set her personal best of 2:13:44.

Sifan Hassan
Sifan Hassan in disbelief after winning the 2023 TCS London Marathon. Photo: Kevin Morris

Reflecting on her return, Hassan said in a press release that it “feels special” to be back at 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 was named World Athletics Athlete of the Year in 2024, holds every European outdoor distance record from the women’s mile to the marathon.

Ethiopia’s Tola to headline men’s field

Hassan won’t be the only reigning Olympic champion at the 2025 TCS London Marathon. Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, who captured gold in the men’s marathon at Paris 2024, will headline the men’s elite field.

Tamirat Tola
Tamirat Tola in the Olympic marathon in Paris, Aug. 9, 2024. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

The 33-year-old has yet to win the London Marathon, with his best finish being third place in 2023, behind the late world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum. Tola’s Olympic victory in Paris came in a record-breaking time of 2:06:26, in a race that featured some of the greatest marathoners in history. Beyond his Olympic triumph and 2022 World Athletics Championship win in Eugene, Ore., Tola has one major marathon victory: the 2023 New York City Marathon.

“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,” Tola said in a press release. “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.

The full men’s and women’s elite fields for the 2025 TCS London Marathon will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

Valentine’s Day running gear picks for your partner

Because there's nothing more romantic than helping the people you love crush their PBs