Sifan Hassan has easily qualified for the final of the 5000 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA. The Olympic champion at this distance finished third in her series in 14.52.89 and went straight to the final on Saturday.
Maureen Koster was eliminated in the series. The 30-year-old athlete from Boskoop finished ninth in her series in a time of 15.18.17 and that classification was insufficient. She could still hope that her time was good enough to advance to the final as one of the five fastest times, but in the second heat too many athletes ran faster. Koster eventually ran the 21st time.
Hassan previously competed in the 10,000 meters at the World Cup. She finished just outside the medals in fourth place in the distance, where she also won Olympic gold last year and the world title three years ago.
The 29-year-old Sportswoman of the Year considered not running any competitions at all this year because she was so physically and mentally exhausted after the Tokyo Games that she left the running shoes in the closet for months. It wasn’t until ten weeks before the World Cup that she seriously resumed training and prepared at altitude in Park City, Utah.
In the 10,000 meters, the short preparation time and the lack of competition rhythm took its toll. She missed her famous flaming final shot in the final round. She did not have to exert herself excessively to qualify for the final of the 5000 meters.