Running News Daily

'I like the excitement' - Decorated Dutch star Sifan Hassan reveals bold plans for 2025 after Olympic success

Marathon Olympic champion Sifan Hassan will concentrate in marathon in 2025 after a breakout year.

Paris Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan has revealed his excitement to fully major in marathons next year.

While she confirmed that she will combine both track and road races in 2025, She maintained that the marathon will be a priority for her.

The double Paris bronze medalist in 5000m and 10000m told World Athletics: “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."

Hassan, who grabbed the 5000m gold in the Tokyo version of the Games, said she faced a mental battle regarding her chances in the marathon until at some point during the race she contemplated quitting. The three-time Diamond League champion pursued a marathon in 2023 and won both the London and Chicago marathons the same year.

This year, she took the Tokyo marathon course as well as the gruesome Paris course. “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," she said.

A bold Hassan said she will take an unpopular decision of doing four marathons in the near future even though that has never happened to any athlete. “One time, I want to do four marathons in a year – from February to February. I want to see if it is possible.”