Sifan Hassan Marathon Icon
sifan hassan wins marrathon olympics make statements
#Olympics #Inspiration #Victory #Resilience #Icon
#Olympics #Inspiration #Victory #Resilience #Icon
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00:00Siffen Haasen, the Dutch distance runner, declared herself not just an athlete, but
00:06an icon with an extraordinary triumph in the Olympic Games marathon.
00:11Winning the marathon gold, a feat layered with emotional, physical, and symbolic magnitude,
00:16Haasen's victory at Stade de France resonated worldwide.
00:21Her historic day began under the rising sun, on a sweltering morning, racing the 26.2-mile
00:28course as temperatures soared.
00:31While others wilted, Haasen ran with an unmatched ardor, completing the marathon in two hours,
00:3722 minutes, 55 seconds, setting a new Olympic record.
00:42This race was her fourth in the Paris Games, a grueling journey of endurance that spanned
00:47more than 12 races combined within a matter of days.
00:50Yet, as she sprinted the final 200 meters, leaving Ethiopia's Tix de Cefa behind, it
00:56became clear, Siffen Haasen was not just running a race, she was rewriting history.
01:03Her post-race words revealed the deep wells of determination within her.
01:07''When I finished, the whole moment was a release,'' she said.
01:12''It is unbelievable.
01:13I have never experienced anything like that.
01:17When I finished, I couldn't stop celebrating.''
01:19Haasen's journey from Ethiopian refugee to Dutch national symbol involves greater challenges
01:26than any single marathon.
01:29At age 15, she fled the Ethiopian countryside to the Netherlands, intending to study nursing.
01:35But a different path emerged, leading her to athletic greatness.
01:40After winning the 1,500 meters at the 2016 World Indoor Championships, she soared to
01:46new heights by breaking the world mile record in 2019.
01:51Fast forward to the Tokyo Olympics, where she secured two golds and a bronze, another
01:56unprecedented feat.
01:59Before Paris, the sporting world doubted Haasen's capacity to switch from track events to marathon
02:05running.
02:07She silenced her critics, not just by winning but by obliterating the old norms of athletic
02:11capability.
02:12Kenya's Helen O'Biery, the bronze medalist, captured the moment aptly.
02:18So many can't do it, but Siffen has shown the world that she can do everything.
02:24What Haasen did next was equally iconic.
02:27Standing on the medal podium at the closing ceremony, she donned a crimson hijab, a powerful,
02:33silent statement against the hijab ban by several sports federations, including the
02:37French Olympic Committee.