Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan qualifies for 1,500m semis, despite fall
Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan placed for the 1,500 meters semi-finals at the Tokyo Games in a spectacular fashion. She stumbled going into the last lap, but quickly got back up and finished first after a extraordinary sprint, RTL Nieuws reports.
Hassan fell over Kenyan athlete Edinah Jebitok going into the final lap, but quickly recovered. After an impressive sprint, the 28-year-old Dutch woman finished fastest in her series with a time of 4.05.17 - ahead of Australia's Jessica Hull at 4.05.28 and American Elinor Purrier at 4.05.28.
The 1,500 meters is Hassan's favorite distance. She's also participating in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. She is the first athlete to dare to combine those three distances in one tournament, according to the broadcaster.
The semi-finals of the 1,500 meters will happen on Wednesday and the finals on Friday.