'Scared' Hassan wins Olympic 5 000m

NAMPA / AFPDutch runner Sifan Hassan took a first, giant step in her bid for an unprecedented Olympic treble when she sprinted to gold in the 5 000m on Monday but admitted she had been "so scared".Ethiopian-born Hassan, 28, produced a devastating final-lap sprint to time 14 minutes, 36.79 seconds.Her victory was all the more remarkable given she had competed, and fallen, in the 1500m heats earlier in the day.Kenya's two-time world champion Hellen Obiri claimed 5 000m silver in 14:38.36, with Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay taking bronze with 14:38.87.Any fears Hassan might have to ride out tactics designed to thwart her from east African rivals Ethiopia and Kenya came to nothing in a slow-paced race that ended with an almighty bang that perfectly suited her explosive finishing skills.Fall, get back upIt came after Hassan used up a lot of energy in falling at the bell of her 1500m heat and clawed back a huge gap to qualify for the semi-finals."When I fell down and had to jump up, I felt like I was using so much energy," she said after her victory in the 5 000m."I couldn't believe the feelings in my legs. All the energy seemed to leave me."Before the race here I didn't even care."I was so tired. Without coffee I would never be Olympic champion. I needed all the caffeine."I was so scared I wasn't going to do it."

'Scared' Hassan wins Olympic 5 000m

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-12

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'Scared' Hassan wins Olympic 5 000m

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-12

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