“I was born for drama,” says Sifan Hassan, the 30-year-old Dutchie who defeated all odds and won this year’s London Marathon. (On her first try, no less!)
The Dutch athlete, who is also the Olympic champion in the 10,000 and 5,000-metre discipline, finished the marathon with a sensational time of 2:18:33.
Earlier that morning, as she tells the Guardian, she was so scared to run that she cried. “Why am I doing this?” she asked her manager. To win, dear Sifan — duh. 💅
All. The. Drama.
An injury, two mid-race stops, and a near-collision with a motorbike — those are all the obstacles that Ethiopian-born Sifan Hassan faced during her very first marathon. 😳
On top of that, Hassan did not go through traditional marathon training. Yet, whilst all the odds (and a whole lot of nerves) were stacked against her, Hassan (not-so-effortlessly) brought the win home.
Much of her debut marathon was spent wondering when she would drop out. Having forgotten to tape up her leg (oeps!), Hassan had to stop to stretch her injured hip just after the hour mark.
The chaos continued when Sifan was nearly hit by a motorcycle when she collected a bottle of water from a drinks station (oeps again!). Due to Ramadan, she didn’t practise collecting drinks beforehand.
An impressive journey
Despite her remarkable runner’s CV, the 30-year-old is humble as ever: “I’m not the greatest,” she tells the Guardian. “I’m just OK. And I don’t need to become the greatest. I’m fine the way I am.”
What makes her story even more special (and totally movie-worthy, if you ask us!) is the fact that Hassan came to the Netherlands from Ethiopia as a refugee at age 15.
After spending some time in a shelter for asylum seekers, she later moved into a house with other refugees. It is here that she started to run — all while following studies to become a nurse.
Her unexpected victory at the London Marathon enhances Hassan’s status as one of the greatest distance athletes in history. You go, girl! 👑
What do you think about Hassan’s sensational career? Tell us in the comments!
Feature Image: Erik van Leeuwen/Wikimedia Commons/GFDL
She is from Ethiopia.