Sifan Hassan has run the Dutch and European record for the 10,000 meters off the books in an extra competition in Hengelo.
27-year-old Hassan is preparing for next week’s World Cup half marathon and was in need of an extra race. She decided in the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium to attack the world record of 29.17.45 that the Ethiopian Almaz Ayana set in the 2016 Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro.
Until halfway through the race, the challenger, who in the pouring rain could see from lights along the track whether she was on schedule, also had that top time in her sights. Not much later, however, she had to put the global record out of her mind.
As a plaster on the wound, Hassan dipped with 29.36.67 – more than forty seconds faster than her personal record with which she took the world title in 2019 – below the national record of Lornah Kiplagat (30.12.53 from 2003) and the European record of the British Paula Radcliffe (30.01.09 from 2002).
–
