Sifan Hassan falls in women’s 10,000m final, conceding gold

Sifan Hassan’s pursuit of the distance triple came to a heartbreaking end on Day 1 of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Leading the race on the final straight, Hassan’s hopes were dashed in the final 50 metres as she tangled with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay (the reigning 5,000m world champion), and tumbled to the ground, missing out on gold and a world championship medal.

Sifan Hassan 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 just metres from the line! 😱

In the 10,000m final, the Olympic champion and overwhelming favourite 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 and it's Gudaf Tsegay who takes the 🥇

Unbelievable drama in Budapest.#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/ImCegtrunh

— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 19, 2023

Hassan, who had competed in the 1,500m heats earlier in the day, positioned herself at the back of the pack until the final two laps of the 10,000m. The race started at a leisurely pace, with the leaders coming through the first kilometre in 3:38 and the 5,000m mark in 16:28. This allowed Hassan to preserve her speed until it counted. With 300 metres left, Hassan made her move on the outside, but Tsegay and Letesenbet Gidey countered, staying on her heels. Victory seemed within reach for Hassan until, in an attempt to force Tsegay wide, she stumbled and fell just 30 metres from the finish line.

Tsegay secured her first world title in the 10,000m event, clocking a 59-second final lap to cross the line in 31:27.18. Capitalizing on Hassan’s misfortune, Gidey clinched silver in 31:28.16, while Ejgayehu Taye completed an Ethiopian podium sweep with bronze in 31:28.31.

Hassan rose from the ground and stood in disbelief, crossing the finish line in 11th place (31:53.35).

Her next appearance on the track is scheduled for Sunday evening in the women’s 1,500m semi-final.

No Dutch luck

Moments later, in the mixed 4x400m relay final, Dutch athlete Femke Bol suffered a fall just 10 metres before the finish line, dropping the baton and shattering The Netherlands’ hopes for another gold medal.

The Dutch quartet had led the relay race until the final exchange, when Isaya Klein Ikkink passed the baton to Olympic and world medallist Bol. She managed to create a small gap against Team USA in the opening 200m of the anchor leg, but USA’s Alexis Holmes gradually reeled her in during the final 200m, nearly overtaking Bol before Bol’s heartbreaking fall.

Disaster for the Dutch again! 😮

In the mixed 4x400m relay, Femke Bol falls just metres from the line.

The USA claim 🥇 and set a world record, Great Britain take 🥈 and the Czech Republic 🥉#WorldAthleticsChamps https://t.co/JvsAPEnzFX

— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 19, 2023

Team USA secured the mixed 4x400m gold in a new world-record time of 3:08.80. Unfortunately, the Netherlands team was disqualified because when Bol fell, the baton rolled across the finish line ahead of her. (If it had fallen before the finish line, Bol could legally have picked it up and crossed the line with it.) Team GB claimed silver with a national record of 3:11.06, followed by the Czech Republic taking bronze in 3:11.98.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships are taking place from August 19-27 at the National Stadium in Budapest, Hungary. All the action will be brought to you by Canadian Running and Asics Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.