by Sifan Hassan rejected the suggestions that she is the largest distance runner of all time despite the Olympic marathon gold and the 10,000 m and 5,000 m of bronze medals over six extraordinary days in Paris.
This made the Dutch athlete, which has just been announced as the star attraction of the London Marathon of this year, the first person to win medals in these three events in a single match from Emil Zatopek in 1952.
However, Hassan, who also owned world records before in the mile and the 10,000 m, refuses to believe that she is the greatest of all time because she thinks that this will prevent her from pushing for summits still higher.
“I don’t think I’m the goat,” she said. “Because if I do it, I’m not going to improve. Everyone has an improvement in them, as long as they do not give up. Even when you think you are incredible, you always have room to become more incredible.
This includes plans to go faster at each distance from a mile to a marathon, as well as running four major marathons in a year.
“I’m really crazy,” she said. “If you open my head, he has so much. If I try to do something, or if I am closer, I will say to myself: “Oh, I am the goat of my imagination.” I want to see what I can do. And I have room to improve myself.
Hassan won the London marathon in 2023 despite the tears before departure, stopping twice to stretch a wounded hip, then was almost removed by a motorcycle. However, this victory in his first race on 26.2 miles sowed the Graines of Paris a year later.
“London is in my heart,” she said. “A miracle happened to me by working hard, by practicing, trying. I never dreamed that I was going to win the gold marathon. But after finishing London, my brain suddenly thought of Paris. »»
“Then, before Paris, I really had trouble. I had overestimated. When I arrived, I said to myself: “OK, my Olympic year is over.” I had no desire. But I thought I do my best.
Since this victory, Hassan has seen Ruth Chepngetich become the first woman to run the marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, her time of 2:09:56 breaking the world record by almost two minutes. But she believes she can go faster – possibly.
“It’s incredible,” she said. “No one thought that a woman would run at that time. I’m really happy she did, because I don’t care about the way she did it, she just showed me that it was possible.
“If I train it correctly, it may take me two years. I am first in shape 2:11. Then 2:10. And then run this time. But it is possible.
