Eugene, Oregon – Sifan Hassan, the double Olympic gold medalist, is targeting more success this and she will be hoping to put on a show in Eugene, Oregon. The Dutch star who enters the 2021 Prefontaine Classic in super form, will attempt to break the world record in the women’s 5000 meters on the first of the meet’s two days.
The 46th Prefontaine Classic is part of the 2021 Wanda Diamond League track and field series, and will be held August 20-21 at Hayward Field.
Hassan is scheduled to race on Friday evening in an event that will conclude a distance-special session as the Prefontaine Classic returns to the re-imagined Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. Festivities are set to begin at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time.
READ MORE: 2021 Prefontaine Classic schedule and event times
This will be the first race for Hassan since her historic Tokyo Olympics, where she became the first woman or man to earn medals in the 5000, 1500 and 10,000 in the same Olympic Games. Her medal haul in Tokyo equaled the most individually by any track & field athlete with a pair of gold medals in the 5k and 10k that sandwiched a bronze in the 1500m.
Hassan even avoided potential disaster, getting up from a fall on the final lap of her heat in the 1500m to not only catch the qualifiers but pass them all in finishing first.
The 28-year-old Hassan also made history at 2019 World Championships in Doha, becoming the first woman or man to sweep gold medals in the 1500 and 10k.
Hassan owns two world records on the track – in the uncanny combination of the mile (4:12.33) and the longest distance achieved in the one hour run (18,930 meters, just over 11¾ miles).
READ MORE: Faith Kipyegon now leads Sifan Hassan in head-to-head 1500m clashes
She added a third WR on June 6 in her homeland of the Netherlands, lowering the 10k best by more than 10 seconds at 29:06.82. At the time she matched American Mary Slaney as the only person to hold both the mile and 10k WRs simultaneously. Alas, Hassan’s 10k WR lasted but two days and she now sits at No. 2 all-time.
Hassan also owns the Wanda Diamond League record in the 3000 meters, achieved at the 2019 Pre Classic in 8:18.49 when it was held at Stanford. Just four days after her 10k WR she set the 1500 DLR at 3:53.63, but that was broken in July. Her PR in the 1500 is 3:51.95, a European record that makes her No. 7 all-time.
Curiously, the weakest of Hassan’s PRs is right in the middle of her fantastic range, as her 5k best is “only” 14:22.12, which puts her No. 12 all-time. The world record that she is aiming for 14:06.62.
This will be Hassan’s fifth Pre Classic, and she has PRed in three of her previous four appearances.
Fans can follow the event lineups as all announced fields are posted at PreClassic.com. The direct link to current start/entry lists is HERE and will include updates to all announced fields.
