Agency :
Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan secured a second title and third medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, showing her blistering pace down the home straight to win the women’s 10,000 metres.
The 28-year-old Ethiopian-born Hassan, world champion over 1,500m and 10,000m, won the 5,000m title and picked up bronze in the 1,500m in her bid for an unprecedented treble in Tokyo. The women’s 10,000m was one of the most highly-anticipated events of the Games with the world’s all-time top two athletes going head-to-head on the Olympic Stadium track.
Hassan posted a time of 29:06.82 to take more than 10 seconds off the world 10,000m record in Hengelo in June.
Two days later, however, the 23-year-old Gidey chopped a further five seconds off the mark when she clocked 29:01.03 on the same track at the Ethiopian trials.
The pair had only clashed once before over the 25-lap race at the 2019 World Championships where Hassan beat Gidey to gold. Gidey, who also holds the world record in 5,000m, came into the race with fresh legs, having decided to only contest the 10,000m in Tokyo.
Japan’s Ririka Hironaka led for the first six laps before Gidey made her move followed by a pack of three Kenyans and the Ethiopian stayed ahead for most of the last seven kilometres.
Hassan tucked in just behind the leaders and with about 3,000m remaining, she increased her pace to take second spot.
Despite running three races in Tokyo’s searing heat and humidity in the last few days, Hassan managed to find an even higher gear before the final turn to surge past Gidey and cross the line in 29:55.32.
