World Athlete of the Year Sifan Hassan's 2024 – in numbers

Sifan Hassan’s extraordinary performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she claimed 5000m and 10,000m bronze before winning the marathon in an Olympic record, was honoured at the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco on Sunday (1).

The 31-year-old won the women’s out of stadium category before being named as women’s World Athlete of the Year.

The Dutch star earned the final athletics gold of the Paris Olympics in gruelling conditions on a course reckoned to be one of the most challenging ever seen at the Games.

Her marathon victory was confirmed in dramatic fashion as she clashed with Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa on the run-in before moving away over the final 100 metres to finish three seconds clear – the narrowest margin in any women’s Olympic marathon.

“I am so honoured,” she said. “Being named World Athlete of the Year among such incredible athletes, and on such a year, means the world to me. Since I was young, I watched marathon runners with admiration. They made me wonder if I could run like them, or if I could even finish a marathon. I used to wonder if I could even race a 10km.

“This year, my curiosity pushed me to take a risk and compete in three distances at the Paris Olympics. It was terrifying, and that made each finish line more meaningful. It wasn’t perfect, but sometimes happiness comes from embracing imperfections.

“This award isn’t just for me, my team, or my family. It’s for every young girl out there, watching, dreaming, and believing she can achieve greatness through sport. To all of you, I want to say: keep exercising, keep training, keep pushing, keep believing, and always remember that no dream is too big.”

Hassan’s 2024 in numbers

At the Paris Olympics you became the first woman to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Games, and the first athlete since Emil Zatopek, who won all three men’s titles in Helsinki in 1952. Does this kind of historic statistic resonate with you?

“To me, it’s not about history, it’s about what I can do. Everybody is different. I focus on what I can do, how I can show my strength. How am I going to improve, even my weaknesses? So, I am always excited, curious to see what I can do.”

The Paris 2024 marathon course has gone down as one of the toughest and most challenging in Olympic history, taking place in gruelling conditions and featuring one long, sustained climb and a second almost vertiginous climb around the 29km marker before a long, steep, giddy downhill stretch heading back into the city centre. What are your memories of this unique challenge?

“After I ran the Tokyo marathon, I looked at the Paris course. I started really practising to run 600 metres up, then 800 metres down. I did it so often that I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t run. I almost injured myself.

“My coach said to me: ‘Why are you only focusing on this?’ And I said: ‘You didn’t see what I saw!’ Really, before Paris, I overtrained. I felt like I was done.

“When it came to the hill – here we go! – I was almost walking. Everybody was running, but I thought: 'I’m going to catch you because this downhill will be crazy'. I knew how hard it would be. And because of the practice, it made it less hard. It was a crazy course – but it was beautiful.”

Your marathon win in an Olympic record of 2:22:55 came just 37 hours after you had won 10,000m bronze, and six days after your 5000m bronze. What did you do to prepare in that short time?

“After the 10,000m I had an ice bath and there was doping control, so I got back late to the village. When I race, really, I talk too much. I can’t stop talking. I stayed awake until 6am and had maybe one or two hours’ sleep. Then the next day there was the medal ceremony.

“The night before the marathon I remember cursing myself, hating myself, saying: ‘Why have you done the track, you’ve got the marathon tomorrow!’

“I woke up at 4am and I was telling myself: 'This is the wrong thing I have done'. Then before the race, I looked at everybody and how fresh they were. And I looked terrible! I was so scared of myself. I tried talking to myself then, getting ready to use my brain to run.

“After I won, I got to sleep at 3am. The night had been crazy with media and supporters. I heard my name a lot, and saw a lot of orange! After a couple more days, I felt the pain.”

In the marathon, you finished three seconds clear after outsprinting Ethiopia’s then world record-holder Tigist Assefa. It was the smallest ever winning margin in the women’s marathon at the Games. Were you always confident you could beat her? How well do you remember your collision on the run-in?

“You know, when I run there is always some kind of big drama. And that marathon I told myself I will do everything. At one point, I thought I was going to fall down. I didn’t want to fall down – it would look bad. So it was crazy. You know, I don’t really like drama, but drama follows me.”

You have now run four marathons – London and Chicago in 2023, Tokyo and Paris this year. How many marathons do you think you will run in 2025?

“My first three marathons were all different and for the Olympic marathon, I was really fighting myself. One side of me said: 'concentrate on the marathon', the other side said: 'better that you do the track'. I was really struggling with myself. I didn’t have confidence I was going to win after the track.

“But I think I’m going to do the track and road again, because I just want to do those things, a combination of track and road close to each other. Because I am very curious. I really like it because I don’t know for sure if it is going to happen. I like the excitement.

“One time, I want to do four marathons in a year – from February to February. I want to see if it is possible.”

Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics