Sifan Hassan has received six Olympic gold medals: three golds, 10,000m and 5,000m (each 2020), and marathon (2024). Sifan has additionally received three bronze medals (1,500m in 2020, 5,000m and 10,000m in 2024). Her transfer to the marathon has shaken the operating world up and she or he only in the near past received the 2025 Sydney Marathon (August 31, 2025), the latest member of the World Marathon Majors.
Sifan began in highway racing and cross nation. These are her origins. From a political refugee, whose household moved to The Netherlands, Sifan Hassan is a job mannequin for younger girls, athletes and non-athletes.
We thought that your would take pleasure in studying about Sifan Hassan within the fall cross nation season, as we have fun one of the vital historic components of our sport, cross nation racing!
Sifan Hassan, together with Eliud Kipchoge, can be racing the 2025 TCS NYC Marathon on November 2, 2025! RunBlogRun can be there to offer you the entire tales!
This interview was initially revealed in September 2024.
Particular because of Simon Bairu, NIKE sports activities advertising and marketing.
Sifan Hassan is likely one of the hottest and interesting athletes on the earth! In all of our social media for Paris 2024, Sifan Hassan was hottest international athlete from Paris 2024!
Sifan Hassan and her household moved to the Netherlands in 2008 at 15 as a political refugee from Ethiopia. Sifan turned a citizen of the Netherlands in 2013. This author first noticed her on the 2014 European Athletics Out of doors Championships in August 2014 in Zurich. On the EAC, Sifan took bronze within the 5,000m and received the 1,500m! It was at all times enjoyable watching Sifan race and her emotional response to her racing and apparent enjoyment of the game!
Sifan has at all times raced over the spectrum. Early in her profession, she ran from 800 meters to the half marathon to cross nation. In December 2013, Sifan Hassan took gold within the European Athletics U 23 Cross Nation champs, plus helped the Netherlands staff take the bronze medal! That was the primary time she represented her new nation, the Netherlands.
Sifan owned the world report within the mile from 2019 to 2023 (4:12). She owned the ten,000m world report for 2 days and nonetheless owns the World report for the hour run (18,930 meters is 11.7623 miles), which is brutal!
When it comes to European data? Sifan Hassan holds European data at 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m, 10,000m, half marathon and marathon!
Sifan Hassan is a tremendously gifted athlete who works laborious, laughs, and races with abandon. On RunBlogRun’s international viewers, she is one in all our hottest, judging by social media response, and the article reads.
We reached out to Brett Holts at NIKE sports activities advertising and marketing and requested if he might assist us attain Sifan Hassan. Not solely did Brett Holts get it performed, however the velocity with which the interview got here again was unbelievable!
We hope you take pleasure in these insights into Sifan Hassan, who simply received bronze on the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, after which gold within the marathon! These are her fourth, fifth, and sixth Olympic medals.
Cross-Nation
1. RunBlogRun: Sifan, what had been your first experiences in cross nation like? What’s your greatest lesson from operating cross nation? What’s the greatest racing tip you can provide younger runners about cross nation?
Sifan Hassan: I’ve at all times cherished cross-country. I grew up within the mountains and really most take pleasure in operating on uneven terrain.
Cross nation taught me a lot when it comes to persistence and placement in racing. I really like the liberty of motion in cross nation, which you alsofind in highway operating. In monitor races, everyone’s afraid of operating too laborious or operating too far on an outdoor lane. I don’t like this, so I at all times keep within the again. I really feel like cross-country offers you a lot extra choices.
I like to recommend beginning off slowly and pacing your self effectively. I bear in mind beginning off means too quick as soon as, and it felt extra sophisticated than a marathon.
2. RunBlogRun: Will we see you race extra cross-country races?
Sifan Hassan: I’d completely like to! I like the concept of together with cross-country races within the build-up to a marathon. The schedule makes it laborious, however I’d love to incorporate extra subsequent season.
Tokyo 2020
3. RunBlogRun; In Tokyo, within the heats, you fell within the 1,500m, and I bear in mind you getting up and sprinting to catch up, transferring to the ultimate; inform us about that race?
Sifan Hassan: It was one of the vital emotional moments of my profession. The Olympics are the very best level in our sport, one thing I’ve labored so laborious for. Considering I would lose my probability at a medal due to a fall made me get again up instantly and focus much more on what I wished to perform. It additionally gave me the push I wanted for the 5000m remaining later that night.
Budapest 2023
4. RunBlogRun: How’s the autumn within the homestretch of the ten,000m impacted you?
Sifan Hassan: After all, I’d have most popular to not fall. But when I can put it this manner, I don’t assume I wanted the medal to show one thing to myself. Making it that far into the race was an achievement in itself, and although the autumn was unlucky, I used to be nonetheless pleased with my efficiency. Seeing Femke (Bol) fall within the relay afterward additionally helped put issues into perspective for each of us, I feel.
Paris 2024
5. RunBlogRun: The longer the race, the higher you appear to do; inform us how powerful the Paris triple was?
Sifan Hassan: I used to be terrified but in addition interested in what would possibly occur. I took it one step at a time, staying grateful, resting as a lot as attainable, and specializing in my diet. The 5000m was the place I felt essentially the most unsure, however the warmth gave me confidence, and I used to be thrilled with the outcome within the remaining. As soon as that was performed, I might concentrate on the ten,000m and the marathon. I wasn’t delighted with the ten,000m; I felt I had an opportunity for gold, but it surely motivated me extra for the marathon. Crossing the marathon’s end line was like a firework in my head. I used to be glad to win however much more happy to have accomplished my mission.
6. RunBlogRun: Inform us about that end in Paris within the marathon? It was like a motorcycle race!
Sifan Hassan: With a motorcycle, climb within the center! (laughs) I simply tried to remain centered and watch out to the end line. In the previous few meters, I kepttelling myself, “Don’t fall, don’t fall!” since you by no means know what would possibly occur. I wasn’t pleased with my 10,000m race a few days earlier, so I feel that made me focus extra and struggle more durable. The marathon was important to me.
Miscellaneous
7. RunBlogRun: You’ve raced the 800m to the marathon. Do you’ve gotten a favourite distance?
Sifan Hassan: I really like all distances for various causes, however I’ve actually come to like the marathon.
Main Marathons
8. RunBlogRun: In your first marathon in London, you stopped a number of instances, and announcers thought you had been out of the race! It was so thrilling to look at you race there; inform us about your first marathon?
Sifan Hassan: It was a singular expertise. Earlier than the race, my coach and I appeared on the subject and thought, “This would possibly get powerful, however let’s see what occurs.” I used to be glad to meet up with the pack regardless of the struggles and, clearly, so happy with the outcome.
9. RunBlogRun: Your marathon in Chicago was spectacular, and also you appeared to have a lot enjoyable within the presser. Put up-event, you thanked the media for masking you; how do you have a look at racing? What’s your philosophy?
Sifan Hassan: My coach and I already had the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon on track in our thoughts. London was nice, however I wished to see whether or not I might run a quick marathon earlier than Paris. So yeah, I used to be more than happy after that.
Legacy
10. RunBlogRun: Should you had been talking to a room of younger girls from all over the world who wish to run, what would you inform them?
Sifan Hassan: Please, please, please encourage the folks round you to run as effectively. Train is so necessary. It makes you more healthy, it makes you reside longer, ithelps you to set targets in all areas of your life, and so forth. So, attempt to encourage the folks round you to run, too.
Coaching
11. RunBlogRun: What’s the exercise you don’t like however is at all times a great exercise for you?
Sifan Hassan: Ugh, any 5k-specific exercise. I hate kilometer reps, however they’re so necessary!
Gear
12. RunBlogRun: What footwear do you prepare in?
Sifan Hassan: I swap between totally different Nike fashions, however I take advantage of the Nike Infinity essentially the most.
13. RunBlogRun; What footwear do you race in (monitor and highway)?
Sifan Hassan: Nike Victory & Dragonfly (monitor), Nike Alphafly 3 (highway).
Particular because of Sifan Hassan for taking the time for the interview. Simon Barieu (Go Badgers) was very important to this interview. Due to Johnny Nielsen and Brett Holts.
As this text was being pubished, Sifan Hassan introduced that the Qatar Basis had acknowledged Sifan as a worldwide position mannequin for younger girls. Sifan will aslo be an envoy for monitor & subject for the QF basis, extra right here: https://www.qf.org.qa/tales/qf-launches-the-creating-pathways-program-to-develop-local-girls-sporting
