PORTLAND (July 8) — Double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan will make her first appearance of the season when she competes at the 7th annual Stumptown Twilight meeting on Friday night (8) at the Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. You can watch live streaming coverage online for free here and follow all the live results here.
Hassan, who won gold medals in the 5000m and 10,000m and added a bronze medal in the 1500m to her tally at the Tokyo Games last summer, hasn’t raced since finishing second in the 1500m at the 2021 Wanda Diamond League Final at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, on 9 September. Read more: How to watch the 2022 Stumptown Twilight meeting on July 8? Sifan Hassan to run 5000m
The reigning world 1500m and 10,000m champion from Doha 2019, has been very quiet this season which was supported by the withdrawal from her lone public scheduled meeting thus far, the Nike Prefontaine Classic 2022 in May.
Hassan admitted to feeling fatigue at the end of a demanding campaign last year where she attempted to win the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m events in Tokyo –and many presumed she would consider taking the year off completely.
However, the 29-year-old is set to compete in a 5000m race at the Stumptown Twilight 2022 in Portland on Friday, and track and field fans are desperate to see how the Dutch star will fare in her first appearance in nine months.
Hassan owns a personal best of 14:22.12 for the 5000m, but with no race under her belt this season, it is highly unlikely that the superstar endurance runner will post a time that is anywhere close to that time on Friday. Read more: Women’s 10,000m results: Sifan Hassan holds off Gidey, Gezahegne in Tokyo
Gabriela DeBues-Stafford of Canada owns the fastest time in the world this year with 14:31.38 with American national indoor record holder Elise Cranny (14:33.17) and compatriot Courtney Frerichs (14:48.75) the other runners to break 15:00 minutes in the 5000m on the track this season.
With that said, although she hasn’t raced all year, if Hassan goes out and runs something close to 15-minutes, her performance would ease some doubt about her fitness and form.
At the Stumptown Twilight 2022 on Friday night Hassan, who is entered in all three events for the World Athletics Championships 2022, will take on a low-key field.
