Hassan closes the World Cup without a medal: ‘I learned a lesson here’ | NOW

Sifan Hassan can live with the fact that she also grabbed a medal in the 5,000 meters in the night from Saturday to Sunday at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. The two-time Olympic champion emphasizes that she has gained important experience with a view to the future.

“I learned a lesson here,” Hassan said shortly after finishing sixth in the 5,000 meters. “That lesson is that I have to train hard. Talent alone is of no use to me, because training hard wins over talent.”

In the run-up to the World Cup, 29-year-old Hassan said she had only trained for a few weeks. After two world titles in 2019 and two Olympic titles in 2021, she took a long vacation and it was all about things other than her sport.

A week ago, Hassan already broke in the 10,000 meters in Eugene. She finished fourth, after which she was beaten in the final sprint in the 5,000 meters. “The competition was just better,” Hassan said. “They trained, while I did nothing. That was my own decision and this is the consequence.”

‘I shouldn’t hide behind that’

The Dutch came close to the medals. In the final lap at Hayward Field Stadium she briefly took the lead, but on the last part several athletes passed her. The gold was for the Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay in 14.46.29.

“I tried, but it wasn’t good enough,” Hassan said. “I can say: maybe I should have done it tactically differently, but I shouldn’t hide behind that. It is the way it is. The others were better.”

Hassan went on to say that she will continue to train in the coming weeks and that she will be competing in several Diamond Leagues. “I’m not going to rest now. Why should I? I haven’t done anything for a long time.”