Kathmandu, August 11
Nepali athlete Santoshi Shrestha has achieved a commendable 79th-place finish in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Competing in her first Olympic marathon, Shrestha completed the race with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 06 seconds. Despite her efforts, she did not manage to set a new national record, though she had set a significant benchmark earlier this year by winning gold at the Bangabandhu Marathon in Dhaka with a record time of 2 hours, 46 minutes, and 22 seconds.
Arriving in Paris 10 days before the event to acclimate, Shrestha successfully finished the marathon despite the challenging course. Notably, 11 athletes abandoned the race mid-way.
Dutch runner Sifan Hassan clinched the gold medal with an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 55 seconds. The previous record, held by Ethiopian Tiki Gelana, was 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 07 seconds from the London 2012 Olympics.
Hassan also won medals in the women’s 5000 and 10000-meter events at the Paris Olympics, marking an impressive performance across multiple disciplines.
Ethiopian athlete Tigist Haji secured the silver medal with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 58 seconds, while Kenya’s Helen Obiri took bronze with a time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 10 seconds.
The world record for the women’s marathon remains with Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir, who set the record with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, and 16 seconds in April 2024.
