DUTCH long-distance star Sifan Hassan remarkably won her 1,500m heat – despite FALLING on the final lap.
Hassan, 28, got involved in a tangle of legs just after hearing the bell for the fourth lap at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
She was preparing to make her final dash from near the back of the group in the final 400m.
When Kenya’s Edinah Jebitok took a tumble right in front of her, Hassan could not react in time and went down with her, rolling on the track.
That left the Ethiopia-born Dutch runner at least 30m behind the leaders with 375m to go – and plenty of work to do.
But 1,500m world champion Hassan did not feel sorry for herself and instead dusted herself down immediately then launched a staggering comeback.
She blitz past the rest of the field – including Australia’s Jessica Hull and American Elle Purrier St. Pierre – to cross the line in first place in 4:05.17.
And with it, Hassan booked her spot in the semi-finals for the 1,500m and kept alive her dream of a historic 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m athletics treble at the Tokyo Games.
Former British 100m champion Jeanette Kwakye told the BBC: “There was a bit of panic, she got up and she started absolutely bombing it!
“She loves the 1500m so she absolutely had to qualify by right, she didn’t want to do that much work, but the fall forced her to do so. It’s all still on for her.”
One fan wrote on Twitter: “Sifan Hassan is….ready. I’ve never seen anything as impressive as that in a 1500 heat. Falls with 380 to go, rolls, loses 25-30 metres, gets up, still wins.”
Another said: “Falling on the last lap of a 1500 is only a problem if your name isn’t Sifan Hassan.”
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And a third added: “This is excellent. What a powerful life lesson.”
British pair Laura Muir and Katie Snowden both secured their spots in the semi-finals.
But there was heartbreak for fellow Team GB hopeful Revee Walcott-Nolan who just missed out as one of the fastest losers.
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Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
