Dutch Sifan Hassan could be the star of the Tokyo Olympics.

At 28, she is aiming for the Olympic treble 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m.

She has already won her first gold medal on Monday, August 2, by easily beating Kenyan Hellen Obiri and Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay in the 5000m final to succeed Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, victorious in Rio in 2016.

This Hassan soap opera has not finished holding on during these Olympics as the company seems crazy and improbable.

But nothing seems to be able to stop the runner for the moment.

Neither the Kenyan colony led by Helen Obiri, nor the Ethiopians and their leader Gudaf Tsegay, nor even the somewhat soggy track after the huge downpours spilled shortly before the start of the race got the better of Hassan's insolent superiority, who disgusted all her rivals in a final round swallowed like a rocket.   

The Dutch finally won in 14 min 36 sec 79 ahead of Obiri, double world champion in the distance, but unable to keep up with the hellish pace set by the Dutch in the last meters (14 min 38 sec 36).

Sifan Hassan wins her first Olympic medal in the women's 5000m and it's #gold!



It's also # NED's first gold medal in #athletics since 1992! #StrongerTogether |

@WorldAthletics pic.twitter.com/HodhyVUbkG

- Olympics (@Olympics) August 2, 2021

The 12 labors of Hercules

Sifan Hassan was not, however, his first feat of arms of the day.

In the morning she had achieved the feat of winning her 1500m series despite a big fall on the last lap.

Falling heavily on the track and far behind, she immediately got up to overtake all her opponents one by one before crossing the line as the winner (4:05:17).

A demonstration that did not prevent her from reigning a few hours later on the 5000 m.

Sifan Hassan wins her 1500m series after a fall 😳



The Dutch double world champion fell 300m from the finish during her series, but more fear than harm đŸ„” # Tokyo2020 #Olympic



Games Follow the Olympics live ▶ https : //t.co/U2iuRWiRbi pic.twitter.com/HJRPYdjVg1

- francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 2, 2021

“I feel like I'm coming out of a nightmare, everything was dramatic today, she blurted. I came here confident to win three gold medals, after working hard. Then when I fell, I told myself that life does not always go my way. After the race, I felt like I had drunk 20 cups of coffee, I could not calm down even after a shower. I was excited. But then, when it came time for the 5000m, I was very tired, I had pain in several places. I don't know where I got that energy from to win. "

With this first victory in his pocket, the indefatigable Hassan will have just a day to breathe before continuing with the semi-finals of the 1500 m on Wednesday.

In case of qualification, she will have to return to the track of the Olympic stadium for the final scheduled for Friday before that of the 10,000m the next day. 

"Sport has changed a lot of things in my life"

Sifan Hassan was born in Adama, Ethiopia. When she was 15, she arrived in the Netherlands without papers. As the site Sport News Africa tells it, it is under the status of refugees that she participates in her first cross-country competitions. "Every day at school in Ethiopia there was a niche dedicated to sport, I was never tired, I played volleyball," she told AFP. "In the Netherlands, then, a teacher offered me to run, I went to his club, I did a 1,500 m in 4 min 20. A few days later, I ran a half marathon in 1h17 ".

His career is launched.

The future champion was revealed in 2013 by winning the 1,500m at the Heusden-Zolder meeting.

In December of the same year, Sifan Hassan, who had just obtained Dutch nationality, competed in the colors of the Netherlands at the European cross-country championships, in Belgrade, Serbia.

Entered in the hope category, she won her first international title in 19:40. It was the start of the incredible rise of this former refugee.

"Sport has changed a lot of things in my life, made me discover the world and showed me that it doesn't matter where you come from or who you are", summed up the athlete.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sifan Hassan (@sifanhassan)

In 2014 in Zurich, she won her first European gold medal in seniors over 1500 m.

But its progress is stagnating.

She won a bronze medal at the Beijing World Championships (2015), a 5th place at the Rio Olympics (2016) and a bronze medal at the London Worlds (2017).

Finally in 2019, Hassan Sifan achieved his goal in Doha.

She is double world champion over 10,000m and 1,500m.

Suspicions

But this double fuels rumors.

Even if she has never been involved in a case, he rekindles the doubts and suspicions around the runner of Ethiopian origin whose sulphurous mentor, the American trainer Alberto Salazar, guru of the Oregon Project supported by the firm Nike, has been suspended for life for "emotional and sexual abuse", a decision of the "US Center for SafeSport" which he can appeal.

His proteges had walked on the Worlds of 2019. The group was then dissolved by Nike.

"The biggest moment of pressure of my life was in Doha, and I managed to get out of it, so Tokyo will be easy", she had reacted in reference to the questions relating to Alberto Salazar at the time of the world championships. Doha.

Sifan Hassan has also gotten into the habit of dropping the lap times.

In October 2020, she set a new European 10,000m record in 29:36:67 in Hengelo.

She finally broke the world record for the distance on June 6, 2021 at the same place, with the time of 29:06:82, improving by more than 10 seconds the former world record held since 2016 by the Ethiopian Almaz Ayana (29 min 17 s 45).

This record only held for two days, however, since it was beaten on the same track on June 8 by the Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey.

Their clash scheduled for Saturday in Tokyo over this distance could once again panic the counters.

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR