Hassan, who made history in Tokyo, ran for office but left empty-handed. Photo Christian Petersen / Getty Images / AFP
sifa hassan She was one of the great figures of athletics at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where she made history in the Japanese capital by becoming the first athlete to win medals in the 1,500 (bronze), 5,000 and 10 meters (gold) in the same edition of an event. olimpico With the echo of that feat still echoing in the air, he reached the Eugenio’s world as one of the great attractions. Everyone expected to see her get on the podiums of the two tests she was about to compete in, the two longer than the three, but it ended up being one of the great disappointments of the event that took place in the mythical stadium Hayward Field from Oregon.
The Dutchman, born in Ethiopia 29 years ago, was fourth in the 10,000, which took place on Saturday 16, the second day of competitions. You close your participation with a sixth place in the 5 thousand and leave the World Cup empty-handed. The cross-country skier was far from being the dominant athlete she had also impressed at the ecumenical event in Doha, two years ago, in which she had consecrated herself in the 1,500 and 10,000. And she herself was commissioned to tell the reason for this recession.
“After Tokyo I had a mental breakdown, I didn’t even care about running. I took a break for almost 8 months. I started training two months ago and did what I could,” said Hassan.
After adding those three medals in the Japanese capital, the Dutchman decided it was time to stop and put his head back, saturated with a longer-than-usual Olympic cycle (the Games were moved from 2020 to 2021 due to the pandemic. ) and spent several months without touching his running shoes.
In December he started moving again and had planned to appear in February at the Cross-country world from Bathurst, Australia, postponed to 2023 due to travel restrictions in that country due to Covid-19. Shortly after, a callus on her foot forced her to prolong the break.
A couple of months ago, he was finally able to resume high-intensity training and played his first tournament on July 8, a week before the start of the World Cup. He was at the Portland meeting, where he won the 5,000 meters with a time of 15: 13.41. Very far from the 14m22s12 which constitute his best score since the date of diamond championship in London 2019. And even much worse than the 14m36s79 with which he won gold in Tokyo. That was his only competition of this 2022 before Eugene’s appointment.
Hassan, in orange jersey and blue shorts, arrived to lead the final of the 5,000 meters, but just a few meters from the finish line he was breathless. Photo REUTERS / Aleksandra Szmigiel
“I’ll only run 5,000 and 10,000,” he warned weeks before arriving in the United States. She couldn’t shine in either test.
In the long run, it showed a very slow pace for her. 180 meters from the end and marching with a small group, she launched an attack to try and secure a medal, but she lost her strength and ended up losing the podium when it looked like she had silver in her pocket.
Gold, with 30m09s94, went to the Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey, silver in Doha 2019, bronze in Tokyo and world record holder (21m01s03) since last year. Kenyans Elena Obiri (30m10s02) and Margaret Kipkemboi (30m10s07) completed the podium. And Hassan had to settle for fourth place, with 30m10s56.
The Dutch still had a chance in the 5,000. But history repeated itself in that ordeal. After finishing third in her heats, she in the final she stayed behind the leading group for much of the race, her usual strategy, and she started to accelerate and climb positions when she saw that the first they began to cut. When she was just over a lap away, she saw the gap, slipped in and became the leader of the race. And once again she was left without strength, without strength in her legs.
A few meters from the finish, the Ethiopian overcomes her Gudaf Tsegaiwho wins the title with 14m46s49, the Kenyan Beatrice Chebet Y Dawit Seyaum, also from Ethiopia, which are silver and bronze. And also Kipkemboi and Gidey; and he finishes sixth, with 14m48s12.
Her performance was far from what was expected of her. But Hassan nonetheless assured her that her time in Eugene was positive, considering everything she has experienced since the curtain fell on the Games in early August.
“I am very happy with the result because my goal is not to be in good shape this year. I am happy to be back and will be looking for gold in 2023,” said the Dutchman.
Source: Clarin
