Sifan Hassan's Ambitious Paris Olympics Triple Challenge

Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Sifan Hassan is set to defend her 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre titles at the Olympics. She plans to add the marathon to her program at the Paris Games, emulating Emil Zatopek's 1952 feat. Despite the difficulty, Hassan is motivated by her admiration for Zatopek.

Sifan Hassan, the Ethiopian-born Dutch runner, is gearing up for an unprecedented challenge at the Paris Olympics, where she aims to defend her 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre titles while also taking on the marathon.

Hassan's ambitious schedule will see her running the 5,000 heats on Friday, the final on Monday, the 10,000 on Friday, August 9, and the marathon on Sunday, August 11. Covering a total distance of 62 kilometres in just a few days, she will have only about 35 hours to recover between the end of the 10,000 and the marathon.

Inspired by Czech runner Emil Zatopek, who triumphed in the 5,000, 10,000, and marathon at the 1952 Helsinki Games, Hassan is not focusing on winning gold in every event but is determined to push her limits and finish each race. 'My biggest goal is to finish the event(s),' Hassan said, expressing her admiration for Zatopek's legacy.