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Sifan Hassan Overcomes Track Crash to Pull Off Triple-Medal Feat
In a preliminary heat of the 1,500-meter women’s track race, 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 Netherlands athlete 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. Then it got even more impressive: Just 12 hours later, Hassan went on to win gold in the 5,000-meter final.
After that, she added two more medals to her Tokyo collection—gold in the 10,000 meters and bronze in the 1,500 meters.
Hassan’s three-peat podium feat—which involved her racing 24,500 meters in six races over nine days—is seriously impressive. In fact, that she was even attempting to medal in three taxing events was considered fairly absurd, even among other Olympians, reported the New York Times. American Emily Sisson, who placed 10th in the 10,000 meters, said she was “shocked” when she learned Hassan had entered all three races, per the New York Times. “That’s on another level,” Sisson said.
Thanks to her big goals and unrivaled achievements, Hassan is now in the conversation as one of the greatest distance runners in Olympic history, per the New York Times.