2019 IAAF World Championships

Sifan Hassan Wins In 3:51; Houlihan Breaks AR But Finishes Off The Podium

Sifan Hassan Wins In 3:51; Houlihan Breaks AR But Finishes Off The Podium

Sifan Hassan became the first person in world history to win both the 10k and 1500m at a global championship.

Oct 5, 2019 by Johanna Gretschel
Sifan Hassan Wins In 3:51; Houlihan Breaks AR But Finishes Off The Podium

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands became the first person ever to win both the 10k and 1500m at a global championships today at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, as her blazing 3:51.95 championship record shocked track fans and raised eyebrows.

Her winning time is the sixth-fastest mark of all-time and is shockingly close to Genzebe Dibaba's world record of 3:50.07. The only women who have run faster are Eastern Europeans and Chinese women coached by the infamous Ma Junren. Comparisons to that dirty part of history were inevitable today, especially on social media, as Hassan's coach, Alberto Salazar, was banned this week for four years due to doping infractions. Hassan herself has never failed a drug test or been otherwise compromised by doping controversy. 

The run led an onslaught of national record and personal best times in the field, as top American Shelby Houlihan broke the U.S. record with a stunning 3:54.99 but failed to make the podium. Her fourth place is the highest global champs finish of her career. The previous record was 3:56.29, set by Shannon Rowbury in 2015.

After Hassan closed her gold medal run in the 10k last weekend with a sub-4 1500m, there was little doubt she'd be nearly impossible to beat in the final. Her trademark is running near the back and unleashing a wicked kick when the time is right, but she deviated from that plan on Saturday in Doha, Qatar, as she led the field through splits of 63.53, 2:05.95 and 3:07.41. 

At the bell lap, Great Britain's Laura Muir ran a stride behind the Netherlands athlete, with Ethiopia'sGudaf Tsegay and Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, the reigning Olympic champion who gave birth last year, nearby. Kipyegon tried to make up ground on the backstretch but Hassan was clearly on a different level than everyone else—she switched into another gear in the final 200m, effortlessly sprinting away en route to the historic win.

Kipyegon would finish runner-up in 3:54.22, a national record, while Tsegay took bronze in 3:54.38. 

Behind Houlihan, fellow Americans Jenny Simpson placed eighth in 3:58.42, a season's-best, and rookie Nikki Hiltz placed 12h in 4:06.68 to wrap up her first championship experience.