Tokyo Olympics 2021: Sifan Hassan wins the first gold medal of her campaign

Sifan Hassan is aiming to complete one of the most audacious Olympic achievements anyone has ever seen. This is how she saved her dream. 

Australia's Peter Bol crosses the finish line to win the men's 800m semi-finals during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

Miracle woman Sifan Hassan continues to do the unthinkable, this time recovering from a fall in the morning to win the 5000m Olympic title at night.

 

 

Hassan's audacious bid to win gold in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m is one of the stories of the Games.

It looked in trouble on Monday morning when during the last lap of her 1500m heat she crashed to the deck after tripping over an athlete who'd fallen in front of her.

Hassan fell 30 metres behind the lead back but over the final 200m she amazingly caught up and then cruised over the top to take victory.

Many thought the effort required to pull that miracle off would impact her chances in the 5000m final.

But the 28-year-old Dutch superwoman didn't miss a beat, sitting out the back of the lead pack until the final lap before taking over with 250 metres remaining.

Hassan then managed to hold off Kenya's Hallan Obiri to take gold in 14min36.79sec. Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay won bronze.

At the 2019 world championships in Doha, Hassan won the 1500m and 10,000m titles.

She added the 5000m for Tokyo which means she will be required to run six races in nine days. The final of the 1500m is on Friday night with the 10,000m the following night.

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Sifan Hassan wins the first gold medal of her campaign

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