Kipchoge in running to be major inspiration at Sydney Marathon

Olympic gold medallists Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan headline the Sydney Marathon this weekend, as the 25-year-old race welcomes its best-ever field to celebrate its elevation to the World Marathon Majors series.

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Rio and Tokyo marathon winner Kipchoge and Hassan, the reigning women's Olympic champion, will lead 35,000 runners across the Harbour Bridge on Aug 31, as Sydney joins New York, London, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo and Berlin on the elite circuit.

Hassan, who will miss the World Athletics Championships for the first time in a decade after deciding to run in Sydney, looks the more likely of the two headliners to break the tape outside the iconic Opera House.

Former world record holder Kipchoge was once all but unbeatable over 42.2km, but the Kenyan is now 40 and without a marathon victory since his fifth Berlin win, and 11th Marathon major triumph, in 2023.