Former coach explained how he unearthed Sifan Hassan’s talent from scratch.
Across the vast landscapes of Ethiopia to the welcoming embrace of the Netherlands, Sifan Hassan’s journey as a refugee in 2008 was just the beginning of a remarkable story that would see her rise to global athletic stardom.
However, it took another seven years before Sifan Hassan changed her citizenship, becoming a Dutch citizen in 2013, marking another journey in her life.
While she was at a career crossroads, it was at Eindhoven Atletiek coach team, more than a decade ago that Hassan, a young asylum-seeker from Ethiopia, embarked on a journey that would lead to history at the Tokyo Olympics and make her a top contender at the Paris version of the Games.
Sifan Hassan’s first appearance came about as pure chance and under farcical circumstances according to Ad Peters, president of Eindhoven Atletiek team who saw her potential instantly.
“We could see she was a talented athlete. Even a blind horse could see she would be a good runner,” Peeters was quoted by the AFP.
Hassan tagged along with a friend representing the club at a 1,000m race nearby and decided to join in. Little did the now 32-year-old new that her success was pegged on running and sized the opportunity.
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“But 1,00m is two and a half laps of track. They hadn’t realized that, so they actually tried to finish at the starting line. So that’s how we got to know her. We could already see she was a talented athlete at that time, but she wasn’t really a runner then yet,” Peters, 58, said in August.
From this humble beginnings, Sifan Hassan’s relentless pursuit of success has seen her win major titles over the years, defying her initial struggles to rule the world.
Hassan is most recognized for her versatility in running championship and world-leading performances in widely disparate distances. She completed an unprecedented triple at the Tokyo Olympics, winning gold medals in both the 5,000m and 10,000m and a bronze medal for the 1,500m.
Hassan is the only athlete in Olympic history to win medals across a middle-distance event and both long-distance races in a single Games. She is only the second of three women to complete an Olympic distance double.
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At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Hassan secured a bronze medal in both the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m events and gold in the women’s marathon, becoming the only woman to win the Olympic gold medal in the 5,000m, 10,000m and Marathon races.
Sifan Hassan is the perfect example of what perseverance, determination and never-give-up attitude can bring.
