Sifan Hassan

Sifan Hassan (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 left Ethiopia as a refugee and arrived in the Netherlands in 2008 at age fifteen.

She began running while undertaking studies to become a nurse.

Affiliated with Eindhoven Atletiek, Hassan entered the Eindhoven half marathon in 2011 and won the race with a time of 77:10 minutes.

She was also runner-up at two cross country races (Sylvestercross and Mol Lotto Cross Cup).

She won those races in 2012, as well as the 3000 m at the Leiden Gouden Spike meet.

Hassan became a Dutch citizen in 2013.

Hassan made her breakthrough in the 2013 season.

She ran an 800 metres best of 2:00.86 minutes to win at the KBC Night of Athletics and took wins in the 1500 m at the Nijmegen Global Athletics and Golden Spike Ostrava meets.

On the 2013 IAAF Diamond League circuit she was runner-up in the 1500 m at Athletissima with a personal best of 4:03.73 minutes and was third at the DN Galan 3000 m with a best of 8:32.53 minutes—this time ranked her the fourth-fastest runner in the world that year.

Hassan became a Dutch citizen in November 2013, too late for competing at the 2013 World Championships, and the following month she made her first appearance for the Netherlands.

At the 2013 European Cross Country Championships she won the gold medal in the under-23 category and helped the Dutch team to third in the rankings.

She also won the Warandeloop and Lotto Cross Cup Brussels races that winter.

At the beginning of 2014 she ran a world leading time of 8:45.32 minutes for the 3000 m at the Weltklasse in Karlsruhe, then broke the Dutch indoor record in the 1500 m with a time of 4:05.34 minutes at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix.

At the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, Hassan won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres.

She became the second female Dutch athlete ever to win a medal at the World Championships, after Dafne Schippers.

She was the third female Dutch winner at the 2015 European Cross Country Championships, following in the footsteps of fellow African migrants Hilda Kibet and Lornah Kiplagat.

Hassan won her heat in the 1500 m in the 2016 Rio Olympics in 4:06.64 before Faith Kipyegon.

In the semifinals she placed second in 4:03.62 after Genzebe Dibaba who won in 4:03.06.

In the final Kipyegon took the Olympic gold medal with 4:08.92, Dibaba was the runner up with 4:10.27 and Jennifer Simpson took the bronze medal in 4:10.53.

Hassan placed fifth in a time of 4:11.23.

She finished fifth in the 1500 m at the 2017 World Athletics Championships and won the bronze medal in the 5000 metres event.

On 13 July, she broke the European record for 5000 metres by finishing second at the Rabat Diamond League in 14:22.34.

A few days later, Hassan won the first Millicent Fawcett Mile at the 2018 London Anniversary Games in a time of 4:14.71, the fourth-fastest result at the time.

At the 2018 European Championships, she won a gold medal in the 5000 m with the time 14:46:12, setting a new championships record.

At the World Athletics Championships, Hassan took 1,500 m and 10,000 m titles in 2019, becoming the only athlete (male or female) in history to win both events at a single World Championships or Olympic Games.

She won a bronze at the 1500 m in 2015, and at the 5000 m in 2017 when she also finished fifth in the 1500 m. Hassan is a three-time World Indoor Championships medallist, winning gold at 1500 m in 2016 as well as silver at 3000 m and bronze for 1500 m in 2018.

She earned six European medals (including two cross country titles), and one European indoor medal.

She is also a three-time Diamond League winner, having secured the 1500 m/5000 m double in 2019.

In her debut over the classic 26.2-mile distance, she won the 2023 London Marathon.

She held the world record for the one mile on the track from July 2019 to July 2023, when Faith Kipyegon overtook it.

She held a world record at 10,000 m for two days in June 2021.

She holds six European records (1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, 10,000 m, half marathon, marathon) and three other Dutch records.

Sifan Hassan was born in Adama, Oromia, Ethiopia and raised in the countryside of Kersa in the Munesa district of the Arsi Zone of Oromia.

She was a recreational runner there.

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 has been the world record holder for the one hour run since 2020.