Sifan Hassan to run Sydney Marathon, unlikely for World Championships
Sifan Hassan plans to run the Sydney Marathon on Aug. 31. Her management team says that means she does not plan to compete at the World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo from Sept. 13-21.
Hassan, the Olympic marathon gold medalist, will headline the women's field for Sydney's debut as a World Marathon Major race.
'Australia is such a strong athletics nation, and a great marathon needs passionate and loud fans, so I'm excited,' Hassan said in a press release. 'I'm also honored to be part of the Sydney Marathon's first year as a Major.'
At the Paris Olympics, Hassan earned bronze medals in the 5000m (Aug. 5) and the 10,000m (Aug. 9) before winning the marathon on Aug. 11.
This summer, she does not plan to attempt the reverse in a tight window. Track races at worlds in Tokyo are two weeks after the Sydney Marathon.
'Participation in Australia means that Sifan will not participate in the World Championships in Tokyo in principle,' Hassan's management team said. 'This is not 100 percent certain, because Sifan can always decide differently.'
It would be the first time Hassan misses the biennial worlds since 2013, when the Dutchwoman was at the start of what has become a groundbreaking career.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Hassan won 5000m and 10,000m gold and 1500m bronze.
In Paris, Hassan became the first person to run the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at one Olympics in 40 years. She became the second person ever to win a medal in the three longest races at one Olympics after Czech Emil Zátopek, who won all three in 1952.
Hassan has raced once since the Paris Games — taking third in the London Marathon on April 27.
Nick Zaccardi,
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