A stunning image of Sifan Hassan and Tigist Assefa battling in the closing moments of the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics has been chosen as World Athletics’ Photograph of the Year.
Michael Steele’s photo was selected from 114 submissions and captured a fierce moment between Hassan and Assefa as they collided with less than 200 meters remaining in the race. Hassan won the gold in 2:22:55 — in her third event at the Paris Games — in the final competition to close out the track and field portion of the Olympics.
“It was especially nice to capture this picture in the final event of the athletics schedule at the Olympics in Paris this summer,” Steele said in a video post after the announcement. “It was quite an incredible finish to the women’s marathon, with Hassan and Assefa battling for gold.”
Of the the 114 submissions, the photos were narrowed to a shortlist of just 11 for judges Valerie Adams, Raquel Cavaco Nunes, Mathieu Forget, Pascal Rondeau and Christian Taylor to ultimately select the winner.
But for Steele, being in the right place at the right time was key as massive crowd waited along the final stretch and Hassan and Assefa finally pulled away from what was left of the lead pack.
“I’d found this position 200 meters away from the finish line and there were huge swarms of people gathered either side of the rails,” Steele said. “When they came around this final bend, they were just locked together. How they didn’t fall to the ground – they actually collided with each other on the inside of the rail. Hassan took the inside, but they managed to stay on their feet.”
Steele added, “Hassan just sprinted from that moment on, to the finish line, and nothing was going to deny her gold. It was a nice moment to capture.”
The remainder of World Athletics’ year end awards will be announced tomorrow, with male and female athletes honors and the rising stars prize to be among those revealed in addition to a new world athlete prize for one overall competitor.
—
