Although it has been reported that Sifan Hassan will race an unprecedented quadruple in Paris, the two-time Olympic champion is still deciding which events she will run at the Games.
On Tuesday, the Dutch team published a graphic on Instagram with the athletes that were selected to represent the Netherlands at the Olympics. The post also included each athlete’s respective events. Following the announcement, several outlets reported Hassan planned to race the 1500, 5,000, 10,000, and marathon—a daring schedule no athlete has ever attempted at the Olympics.
While the 31-year-old middle- and long-distance standout is considering all four events, her plans haven’t been finalized just yet.
On Thursday, her coach, Tim Rowberry, told Runner’s World Hassan has not announced what events she will do in Paris. This week, she planned to run the 10,000 meters at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in Hengelo, but the race was canceled during Hassan’s warmup because of heavy winds. Rowberry said the cancellation prevented Hassan from getting “the effort level she needed, so we are still waiting to check her progress in a race.”
“She is eligible for four events, and we have been working towards all of them, but due to the proximity of 10K, 1500, and marathon, we are still evaluating if she can safely compete in different combinations,” Rowberry wrote via email. “Her current shape is uncertain until she gets into a race, so she will likely race one more time at the Sunset Tour in LA to help evaluate how she feels now that she is tapering training.”
Hassan is scheduled to compete in the 1500 and 5,000 meters at Jack Kemp Stadium in Los Angeles on July 20.
Known for her bold approach to racing, Hassan has extensive experience in navigating the demands of multiple events at global championships.
In 2021, the Dutch runner of Ethiopian origin became the first athlete in Olympic history to medal in the 1500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters at a single Games. After winning the 5,000-meter title and finishing third in the 1500 in Tokyo, Hassan used the disappointment as fuel to come back less than 24 hours later to win in the 10,000. “From the beginning, I was really tired,” Hassan said in Tokyo. “I felt like I was sprinting. I was thinking about yesterday the whole race, and I’ve never gone deep like I did today.”
Two years later at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hassan claimed a bronze medal in the 1500, silver in the 5,000, and 11th place in the 10,000 after tumbling to the ground while leading just before the finish line.
While continuing to collect hardware on the track, Hassan also made a seamless transition to the marathon. In her debut, she won the 2023 London Marathon in an epic comeback after yo-yoing off the lead pack and even stopping twice to stretch her quad. Six months later, she blazed the second-fastest time in history while winning the 2023 Chicago Marathon in 2:13:44.
So far this year, Hassan hasn’t been as dominant in her performances, though it seems like much of it is due to heavy training blocks in preparation for multiple events at the Olympics. After finishing a distant seventh in the 5,000 meters (14:34) at the Prefontaine Classic on May 25, Hassan told reporters she didn’t want to be fresh while sharing her plans for another tough training buildup this summer.
If Hassan decides to compete in all four events in Paris, she’ll face a grueling schedule with just hours to recover between three of the four finals. Here is the timeline.
- August 2: Round 1 of the 5,000
- August 5: Final of the 5,000
- August 6: Round 1 of the 1500
- August 8: Semifinal of the 1500
- August 9: Final of the 10,000
- August 10: Final of the 1500
- August 11: Marathon
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
