Sifan Hassan

Sifan Hassan (Oromo: Siifan Hassan; born 1 January 1993) 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 5000 metres and 10,000 metres and a bronze medal for the 1500 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.

Sifan Hassan at the 2023 Chicago Marathon

Quotes

• "I’m really excited to learn more rather than just focus on who is going to run and are they going to win or not."
• "Maybe I’m searching for some very hard or stressful things. I don’t know. Maybe for me to stay in this sport I have to find out what is possible or impossible?"
  • “Win or lose, it’s good for me to find out” – Sifan Hassan on her Chicago experiment by Views from the Concourse. October 4, 2023. Retrieved 10/11/2023.
• "Running teaches you patience, and I didn't want to give up. After all, if you don't give up, you just continue."
• "I think learning to take something difficult in your stride is something life teaches you."
• "So, when I feel like I want to give up or cry, I don’t. And the outcome is much more beautiful."
• "I don't challenge myself to be better than the next person, rather better than myself. I think everyone should compete with themselves."
• "Challenging yourself is hard work, but it's okay to be scared, have doubts and to be worried. Just don’t run away and quit."
• "The real race begins when the pain starts."
  • London Marathon Winner Sifan Hassan On Self-Belief, Resilience And Overcoming Adversity by Panashe Nyadundu. May 2, 2023. Retrieved 10/11/2023.