Sifan Hassan Wins 1,500 Heat After Track Fall at Tokyo Games—Then Earns Gold 12 Hours Later in the 5,000 Meters
In a preliminary heat of the 1,500-meter women’s track race on August 2 at the Tokyo Games, distance running star Sifan Hassan tripped over a fallen competitor and crashed to the ground with just one lap to go. It seemed like the race was over for Hassan, who dropped to 12th place out of 15 after the collision.
But the athlete, who competes for the Netherlands, picked herself up and immediately started sprinting. With next-level grit and a blazing fast stride, 28-year-old Hassan surged by her competitors one by one. In a little over a minute, she passed them all to cross the finish line first, comfortably securing her spot in the semifinal, which will take place August 4.
She finished with a time of 4:05.17, just in front of Australia’s Jessica Hull (4:05.28) and Team USA’s Elle Purrier St. Pierre (4:05.34).
Watch the epic comeback here in this tweet from NBC Olympics:
It gets even more amazing though: Just 12 hours later, Hassan went on to win gold in the 5,000-meter final. Her time of 14:36.79 bested Hellen Obiri of Kenya, who finished second in 14:38.36, and Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who placed third in 14:38.87.
The win marked Hassan’s first achievement in her bid for three gold medals at Tokyo. On August 1, Hassan announced in a statement that she is vying for first place finishes in the 1,500, 5,000, and 10,000-meter events, an objective the New York Times described as “extraordinary and uniquely painful,” and something no man or woman has done at a single Olympics, according to NPR.
For Hassan though, the goal is about much more than shiny hardware or a place in the record books. “For me it is crucial to follow my heart,” she said in the statement. “Doing that is far more important than gold medals. That keeps me motivated and it keeps me enjoying this beautiful sport.”
Yesterday Hassan posted a trio of quotes on Instagram seemingly related to her goal. “It’s going to be hard,” read one quote. “But hard is not impossible.”
If Hassan achieves the feat, it wouldn’t be her first time making history. She won both the 1,500-meter and the 10,000-meter events at the 2019 World Championship, something no man or woman had done in a single World Championships or a single Olympic Games. Hassan also holds the women’s world record in the mile with her time of 4:12.33.
The 1,500-meter semifinal is on August 4; if Hassan places among the top 12 athletes (the top five in each of two competing heats and then the next two fastest) in the field of 26, she will compete in the final on August 6. The 10,000-meter final will be held the next day.
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