Sifan Hassan is an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She is most recognized for her versatility in running championship and world leading performances in widely disparate distances. She completed an unprecedented triple at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning gold medals in both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres and a bronze medal for the 1,500 metres. Hassan is the only athlete in Olympic history to win medals across a middle-distance event and both long-distance races in a single Games. She is only the second woman to complete an Olympic distance double.
Hassan at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin
Sifan (R) at the 2012 Gouden Spike meeting held in Leiden (NL).
Sifan Hassan (L) with her silver for the 5000 m at the 2014 European Athletics Championships held in Zürich. She won her first European senior title at the event with a 1500 m victory.
Women's 1500 m podium at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing (L–R): Faith Kipyegon, Genzebe Dibaba and Sifan Hassan.
Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics were held during the last ten days of the Games. They were due to be held from 31 July – 9 August 2020, at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the games were postponed to 2021, with the track and field events set for 30 July – 8 August. The sport of athletics at these Games was split into three distinct sets of events: track and field events, remaining in Tokyo, and road running events and racewalking events, moved to Sapporo. A total of 48 events were held, one more than in 2016, with the addition of a mixed relay event.
Olympic Stadium
Sydney McLaughlin set a world record in women's 400 m hurdles.
Yulimar Rojas (left) and Karsten Warholm (right) set world records in the women's triple jump and men's 400 m hurdles respectively.