Sifan Hassan to race three events at 2023 World Athletics Championships

As team rosters are nearly finalized for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the Dutch national team unveiled that the 2023 London Marathon champion, Sifan Hassan, will compete in three events over the nine-day competition. Hassan will hope to replicate and improve on the triple she pulled off at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning two golds in the women’s 5,000 and 10,000m and a bronze in the 1,500m.

The 30-year-old has showcased her range and versatility over the past two years, previously setting world records in the mile and 10,000m. Hassan is the only athlete in Olympic history to win medals across a middle-distance event and both long-distance races at a single Games. She is also only the second woman to complete an Olympic distance double of 5,000/10,000m.

Hassan’s schedule

Hassan’s bid for the triple in Budapest could be her toughest challenge yet. She faces a demanding schedule to begin the championships, racing five times in the first five days. On Day 1 (Aug. 19), Hassan will kick off her campaign in the 1,500m heats in the afternoon before taking on the women’s 10,000m final at night. She will have under 24 hours to recover before being thrown back on the track for the 1,500m semi in the afternoon program of Day 2 (Aug. 20). Day 3 (Aug. 21) will be crucial for Hassan, as it will be her only rest day before she takes on the 1,500m final on Day 4 (Aug. 22), and the heats of 5,000m on Day 5 (Aug. 23). After the 5,000m heats, she’ll get two and a half days to rest and tune-up for her last event, the 5,000m final in the evening of Day 8 (Aug. 26).

She is also still slated to race the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 8, exactly 42 days after the world championships.

The quest for three

Although Hassan is capable of contending for medals in all three events, her greatest strength for gold will be in the women’s 10,000m. Hassan has previously held the world record in the event and has the second-fastest time in the world year behind Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay.

The problem Hassan will face in the 1,500m and 5,000m is controlling the dominance of Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, who has undisputedly been the best athlete in the world this year, setting three world records from the 1,500m to the 5,000m. Kipyegon has not only broken the three records, she has dominated in the 1,500m distance, not losing a race since June 2021 (including beating Hassan for gold at the Tokyo Olympics). Kipyegon has shown the track and field world that she is unbeatable over the metric mile and can win the race in any style.

Faith Kipyegon breaks women’s 5,000m world record in Paris

Hassan might be in over her head in the 1,500m, but she could possibly fare better against Kipyegon in the 5,000m if the race gets tactical. If Hassan can dial up the pace from the start and pick away at Kipyegon each lap, she could catch her and Letesenbet Gidey off-guard and find herself atop the podium. Don’t forget, Hassan ran a European record of 14:13.42 two and a half weeks ago at the London Diamond League, where she finished third behind Tsegay and reigning world XC champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya, two other women in the strong 5,000m field. 

At last year’s world championships in Eugene, Ore., Hassan ran the distance double and missed the podium in both, finishing sixth in the 5,000m and fourth in the 10,000m.

As the 2023 World Athletics Championships draw near, all eyes will be on Hassan’s quest for three golds and her epic battle against some of the best athletes in the world. The 2023 World Athletics Championships will begin on Aug. 19 and run till Aug. 27 in Budapest, Hungary.