It had been widely assumed that Emil Zatopek’s long distance treble at the 1952 Olympic Games would never be achieved - or even attempted - again but the indefatigable Sifan Hassan came very close to emulating the Czech Locomotive in Paris 2024.
Contesting her fourth race of the Olympic Games after winning bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m, Hassan stepped up to win a magnificent gold medal in the marathon in an Olympic record of 2:22:55 - a brilliant time given the nature of the course and the hot conditions on the final day of Paris 2024.
Hassan had contested the 10,000m final only 36 hours prior to lining up for just the fourth marathon of her career and the Dutchwoman’s heavy racing schedule seemed to be catching up with her when she dropped off the leading group for the second time on the steep uphill section just before the 30km checkpoint.
But Hassan regained contact with the leaders on the downhill section before settling in for a grandstand finish. In a dramatic and physical last 500 metres against world record-holder Tigist Assefa from Ethiopia with the pair exchanging elbows, Hassan surged away onto the blue carpet and sprinted clear to win the third Olympic gold medal of her career.
Hassan became the first athlete since Zatopek in 1952 to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Olympics. Her winning time in the marathon was also marginally faster than Zatopek in 1952 - 2:22:55 to 2:23:03.
One day prior, Belgium’s Bashir Abdi joined an exclusive group of athletes - including his compatriot Karel Lismont in 1972 and 1976 - by winning marathon medals in back-to-back editions of the Olympic Games.
On the comeback from a stress fracture which threatened his participation, the European record-holder improved on his bronze medal from Tokyo 2020 with silver in Paris in 2:06:47 in a race won by Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola in an Olympic record of 2:06:26.
Abdi recently announced that he is planning an attempt on his European marathon record of 2:03:36 in the Rotterdam Marathon next April.
Spain reigns again in the race walks
Maria Perez and Alvaro Martin both won individual medals in the 20km race walk in Paris 2024 so it came as no surprise the Spaniards - both of whom won double gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest - combined to win the inaugural mixed marathon race walk relay by almost one minute from Ecuador.
In doing so, Martin completed the full set of major titles before announcing a surprise retirement at the end of the season.
But Spanish race walking is still in excellent hands despite the departure of Martin. At the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, the Spanish team won eight medals in total - the most by any country - including team titles in the women’s U20 10km and men’s 20km race walk.
However, it was Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom who came away with the exploits individually in the 20km race walk in Antalya and the charismatic Swede would repeat just a few weeks later at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships. Many onlookers expected Karlstrom to win his first Olympic medal in Paris but an untimely bout of coronavirus reduced him to a 21st-place finish.
On the women’s side, 2020 Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano began the Italian gold rush at the Stadio Olimpico by winning the first of Italy’s 11 gold medals in the 20km race walk, leading an Italian one-two ahead of her veteran teammate Valentina Trapletti.
In the half marathon, Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal upgraded her silver medal from the 5000m on the first night of the championships with gold ahead of Romania’s Joan Chelimo and Great Britain’s Calli Hauger-Thackery who led the Brits to the team title.
On the men’s side, Yemaneberhan Crippa and Pietro Riva took an individual one-two for Italy who also won the team honours thanks to four finishers inside the top eight.
Fast times aplenty on the road to Brussels-Leuven
The European all-time lists in the men’s road events were thoroughly rewritten in 2024.
The European 10km record was revised twice throughout the season. France’s Jimmy Gressier eclipsed the record initially with a 27:07 clocking in Lille in March before his lesser-known compatriot Etienne Daguinos lowered the record to 27:04 - also in Lille - in November.
The depth was also outstanding with six of the seven fastest performances on the European all-time list set in 2024. Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa also ducked under Julien Wanders’ previous European 10km record of 27:13 from 2020 with a national record of 27:08 in Herzogenaurach six weeks before winning individual and team European half marathon gold in Rome.
And while the European records remained intact in the half marathon and marathon, the depth was nonetheless exceptional with three athletes breaking the one hour-barrier for the half marathon and five athletes breaking the 2:05-barrier in the marathon.
Six of the eight fastest times on the European all-time marathon list were set in 2024, including the French record of 2:03:47 set by Morhad Amdouni in Seville while Switzerland’s Tadesse Abraham ended his venerable career by finishing fifth in Valencia in a national record of 2:04:40 to move to fourth on the European all-time list at the age of 42.
And while his Olympic Games didn't go to plan, Abdi Nageeye from the Netherlands achieved two notable victories in 2024, winning the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:04:45 before atoning for a DNF in Paris 2024 with victory in the New York Marathon to become the first European winner of the men's race since 1996.
In total, 51 European marathon runners broke the 2:10-barrier in 2024 compared to 45 runners in 2023.
These performances set the scene perfectly for the inaugural European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven on 12-13 April and the likes of Gressier, Daguinos as well as Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti have already expressed their interest in competing at the newest major event on the European Athletics calendar.
Global glory over 100km
There was also a final flourish to come on the roads for European athletes at the IAU 100km World Championships in Bangaluru, India on 7 December.
The women’s race saw a European clean sweep. European record holder Floriane Hot defended the title she won two years earlier, taking gold in 7:08:43, followed by French teammate Marie-Ange Brumelot, who won silver in 7:12:22 with bronze going to Great Britain’s Sarah Webster in 7:19:18. France also claimed team gold from Great Britain.
Spain’s Antonio Jesus Aguilar split Japan’s Jumpei Yamaguchi and Haruki Okayama to take silver in the men’s race in 6:25.54. Spain took team silver and Great Britain won bronze.
Steven Mills for European Athletics