Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands may not have successfully defended her title in the women’s 5,000 meters, but with a bronze medal in the first leg of what would be a historic Olympic treble the 31-year-old continues to push the boundaries of belief in middle and long-distance running.
Hassan, who possesses unmatched speed down the stretch, ran out of track as she tried to chase down Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet, who won the race in 14:28.56, and had to settle for a bronze medal. Gudaf Tsegay, the world record holder, finished a disappointing ninth.
Kipyegon was briefly disqualified for jostling with Tsegay late in the race, then reinstated as the silver medalist after appeal.
The divisive obstruction appears to have occurred early in the race when the pack was tightly bunched and Tsegay nearly tumbled to the ground, with the official ruling only coming in the early hours of Tuesday morning, hours after the race had finished.
With the 5,000 out of the way, Hassan will shift her attention to the 10,000 meters, which will take place on Friday night. After that, she will have roughly 36 hours to recover for the marathon, which is scheduled for Sunday morning.
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Sifan Hassan begins Olympic treble attempt with bronze in 5,000m, Faith Kipyegon reinstated for silver
