Sifan Hassan well beaten at FBK games on a night Faith Kipyegon shatters 1500m World Record

Sifan Hassan well beaten at FBK games on a night Faith Kipyegon shatters 1500m World Record

Mark Kinyanjui 23:30 - 07.07.2024

Sifan Hassan faded away in towards the final stretch, finishing fifth in the end, while Kenya's Mary Ekiru had to settle for sixth place.

Sifan Hassan was unable to replicate Faith Kipyegon’s impressive 1500m display at the Paris Diamond League classic on Sunday a she settled for a disappointing fifth place finish at the FBK Games in Hangelo an hour later.

Hassan, who has been giving Kipyegon a run for her money over the last couple of years, led a pack that included Kenyan Mary Ekiru but started to fade away in the last 120 meters of the race, allowing Mellisa Courtney-Bryan of Britain and Danielle Jones to finish first and second respectively.

Courtney-Brian crossed the line first in 4.03.58, with Jones crossing the line next some 20 microseconds later.

Hassan’s 4.04.83 was her season best time,  while Ekiru’s 4.05.00 was also a seasonal best.

Looking ahead, Hassan is set to compete in four events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games: the 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, and the marathon.

Her packed schedule includes the opening round of the 5000m on August 2nd, the 1500m heats on August 3rd, the 5000m final on August 5th, the 1500m semi-final on August 8th, the 10,000m final on August 9th, and the 1500m final on August 10th. She will wrap up her Olympic campaign with the marathon on August 11th.

Hassan's track record is impressive. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, she competed in three events and won three medals: gold in the 10,000m with a time of 29:55.32, gold in the 5000m in 14:36.79, and bronze in the 1500m with 3:55.86.

Remarkably, she recovered from a fall in the 1500m heats to win the race. Hassan also made history at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships, winning both the 1500m and 10,000m, a feat never before achieved by any athlete, male or female.

She earned silver and bronze at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships and previously won bronze at the 2015 Beijing and 2017 London championships.

Hassan holds the world record in the one-hour race, covering 18,930 meters (11.76 miles). She also boasts 10 European or Dutch records.

Despite her recent setbacks, Hassan's resilience and determination make her a formidable contender in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Tags: