by Larry Eder
Sifan Hassan has captured the imagination of track fans, young and not so young.
Her fearless racing from 800 meters to 10,000 meters, then, the mile WR and a 10,000 WR, then, an hour run, has just kept us transfixed. . Then, the marathon. Last summer at the Olympics, in the 5000m, 10,000m and then the victory in the marathon, we were stupified.
This year has been a recovery time. Her marathon was run off less than 8 weeks of training and she is slowly ramping it up.
London DL is one of my favorite meets, which I went to for many years. This year, I will be watching remotely. But I will be transfixed to the TV with my San Pelligrino watching Sifan Hassan run a fast mile!
London, England, United Kingdom
April 23, 2023, photo by Kevin Morris
VERSATILE HASSAN AIMS FOR FAST MILE AS SHE RETURNS TO TRACK IN LONDON
Reigning Olympic marathon champion and charismatic track star Sifan Hassan (NED) will compete in the mile at the sold-out Novuna London Athletics Meet on Saturday 19 July.
Hassan – a multiple European record holder from 1500m (3:51.95) through to the marathon (2:13:44) – has an incredible record at recent major championships. In addition to winning marathon gold in Paris she was a double bronze medallist in the 5000m and 10,000m. As a result, she became the first woman to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Olympic Games and the first athlete to do so since Emil Zatopek, who won all three men’s titles in Helsinki in 1952. In Tokyo (2021) she won gold in the 5000m and 10,000m and was a bronze medallist in the 1500m.
The 32-year-old has enjoyed success in London too, most notably taking victory on her marathon debut in 2023 (2:18.33), most recently finishing third in the 2025 event (2:19:00). She last competed on the track in the London Athletics Meet in 2023, finishing third in the 5000m in a European record time of 14:13.42.
“I’ve learned so much about myself racing in London, both on the road and the track, and I’m excited to return and to compete again at the Olympic stadium,” said the 2024 World Athlete of the Year who has a mile best of 4:12.33 (also the European record).
“Last year my curiosity pushed me to take a risk and compete in three distances at the Paris Games. I know I’m probably a bit crazy to mix it up so much, but I like the combination of track and road and I want to see what is possible. Now that the London Marathon is over, I will be returning to shorter distances for the track season. I enjoy these different races, tactics and distances, and I am looking forward to seeing what I can do in the Diamond League mile in London!”
The Novuna London Athletics Meet – the world’s biggest one-day athletics event – is the eleventh meeting of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League. The series, which will pay out a record total of 9.24 million US dollars in prize money, comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field across four different continents and started with Xiamen on 26 April. It concludes with a single final across two days in Zurich (27-28 August).
Budapest, Hungary
August 19-27, 2023, photo by Kevin Morris
ENDS
About the Wanda Diamond League
The Wanda Diamond League is the elite one-day meeting series in global athletics. It comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field. Athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final, which will be held in Zurich on 27th and 28th August 2025.
About UKA
UK Athletics is the National Governing Body of the leading Olympic and Paralympic sport in Britain. British Athletics is the sport we represent, the people, the athletes, the fans, the team.
We work closely with the Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAFs) to develop and grow all areas of the sport including elite performance, coaching, major international events, competition and grassroots programmes within schools and clubs.
Find out more: www.britishathletics.org.uk and uka.org.uk
About Novuna
Novuna is a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, a leading financial services company, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). We have over 2,300 employees, £8.6bn of net earning assets and over 1.3 million customers across our business divisions; Novuna Consumer Finance, Novuna Vehicle Solutions, Novuna Business Finance, Novuna Business Cash Flow and our European division specialising in Vendor Finance providing innovative finance solutions to enable consumers and businesses to grow and prosper.
We are a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., strengthening our relationship with one of the world’s largest and most diversified financial groups, with over 11trn yen (£57bn) of assets.
