Former world marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei is poised for a thrilling collision with Olympic champion Sifan Hassan at the Sydney Marathon on August 31.
Race organisers had earlier confirmed Hassan as the marquee name in the women’s field, but the inclusion of Kosgei has significantly raised the stakes.
Race Director Wayne Larden said the calibre of this year’s women’s field marks a turning point for marathon racing in Australia.
“This is without question the greatest women’s marathon field ever seen in Australia. With some of the world’s fastest and top-ranked athletes confirmed, Sydney is now firmly on the map as a world-class marathon destination," Larden said.
Kosgei, the 2020 Olympic silver medallist, will be lining up for only her second race of the year following her season debut in Hamburg on April 27.
She finished second in 2:18:26 behind Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa, who clocked 2:17:55. Another Ethiopian, Sichala Kumeshi, followed in third, clocking 2:19:53.
This won’t be the first Kosgei, Hassan face-off. Their last showdown came at the 2023 London Marathon, where Hassan stunned the world with a marathon debut victory, clocking 2:18:33.
Megertu Alemu (2:18:37) and Peres Jepchirchir (2:18:38) completed the podium.
Kosgei, meanwhile, failed to finish that race.
The Kenyan long-distance star will be eager to flip the script in Sydney.
Kosgei holds a glittering resume over the distance, including Olympic silver from Tokyo 2020, where she clocked 2:27:36 behind compatriot Jepchirchir (2:27:20).
She boasts back-to-back Chicago Marathon titles in 2018 (2:18:35) and 2019, when she set the then-world record of 2:14:04 ahead of Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshaneh (2:20:51) and Gelete Burka (2:20:55).
She finished runner-up in the 2017 Chicago race, posting 2:20:22 behind Tirunesh Dibaba (2:18:30).
Kosgei holds back-to-back triumphs from London — 2019 (2:18:20) and 2020 (2:18:58).
She claimed a runner-up finish in the 2018 edition, clocking 2:20:13 behind compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot (2:18:31).
In 2021, Kosgei claimed the Tokyo Marathon title, clocking 2:16:02 ahead of Ethiopians Ashete Bekere (2:17:58) and Gotytom Gebreslase (2:18:18).
Hassan, on the other hand, is eyeing her first marathon win of the year.
The Dutch sensation opened her 2025 season with a third-place finish in London, clocking 2:19:00 behind Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa (2:15:50) and Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei (2:18:44).
Her pedigree over the 42km distance includes victories in Chicago 2023 (2:13:44), London 2023 and at the 2024 Paris Olympics (2:22:55).
Adding firepower to the women’s elite field is a formidable Ethiopian contingent led by the in-form Edesa, who is eyeing a hat-trick of wins in 2025 following victories in Osaka (2:21:00) and Hamburg.
She will be joined by 2019 Berlin Marathon champion Bekere, Meseret Belete and Tiruye Mesfin.
