The versatility of the athlete Sifan Hassan never ceases to amaze. The Olympic and world champion in track events, who last year made his successful debut in the marathon distance, is preparing to compete for the first time in World Cross Country Championshipadding a new modality to its diverse repertoire.
Hassan will represent the Netherlands at the upcoming World Cross Country Championships March 30 in Belgradea one-day event where five races will be held: two men’s and women’s absolute 10K, a men’s sub-20 8K, a women’s under-20 6K and a mixed 8K relay.
The 31-year-old athlete born in Ethiopia already knows the circuit, because in 2013 he u23 champion in the European Cross Country held in the capital of Serbia. The last time Hassan competed in this modality was in 2015, when he was absolute champion at the European Cross Country in Hyères, France.
After that Hassan focused all his efforts on the track, both long and middle distance. In 2019 he was the champion in 1,500m and 10,000m in Doha Athletics World Cup. Two years later he became the Olympic champion of 10,000m and 5,000m in Tokyo Gameswhere he also won a bronze medal in the 1,500m.
In 2023 he participated in triplicate in Budapest Athletics World Cupwho won silver in the 5,000m and a bronze in the 1,500m, and narrowly missed out on gold in the 10,000m when he tripped while dominating the race a few meters from the finish line.
In the same year he debuted in the marathon distance, achieving an outstanding victory in London and, six months later, he won the Chicago Marathon with the second fastest female record in history (2h13:44).
Hassan recently placed fourth in the tokyo marathona performance that fell short of his expectations but in which he shaved almost 30 seconds off the mark at which he debuted and won in London.
On March 30, Hassan will take his talent to the World Cross Country Championship in Belgrade, a championship that will host more than 500 athletes from around 60 countries and where Spain will participate with a team of 19 athletes led by Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Carolina Robles.
Source: La Verdad

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