Sifan Hassan, Emil Zatopek and the power of ‘crazy’ Premium

The Dutch athlete is inspired by the idea of emulating the immortal Czech runner at Paris 2024 and going for gold in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon — a feat that pushes the limits of what even elite athletes consider reasonable

When Sifan Hassan decided to race the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she knew of the bewilderment she was causing among fans and other athletes. “Many people say I’m crazy,” she said. “Believe me, I think I’m crazy too.”

Several decades ago, another long-distance runner provoked astonishingly similar sentiments. Emil Zatopek, the Czech who won the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon in an eight-day stretch at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, often caused shock and awe. 

“They thought I am crazy,” Zatopek once said, describing how the crowd responded when he cycled 220 miles from Prague to Berlin and then made an abnormally fast start to win his first international race. “Who is he, they are saying? He is crazy. Crazy.” 

So it’s only fitting that Hassan may try to emulate Zatopek by competing in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at next year’s Paris Olympics. The 30-year-old Dutch athlete, who won the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m titles (and the 1500m bronze) in Tokyo, made a stunning marathon debut in London last month, coming home first in two hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds.

On the streets of London, Hassan struggled with a painful hip, stopped to stretch her muscles, survived a close encounter with a motorbike, hesitated because she wasn’t sure where the finish line was, and still beat an incredibly competitive field that included world record holder Brigid Kosgei and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir.

Hassan had confessed to feeling anxious ahead of the race, even wondering why she was putting herself through the ordeal. “My feeling is nervous, and curious at the same time,” she said. “Can I defeat the marathon, or is it going to defeat me?” 

After gruelling training runs without food or water during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Hassan had said she had no particular time in mind for finishing the race. And at several points during the 42.195 km, she had doubts about even finishing the race.