Sifan Hassan loses out on 10,000m title, while cramp strikes Femke Bol at the vital moment as Netherlands are denied a golden double in Budapest
Day one of the World Championships in Budapest could not have finished in more dramatic fashion, as the Netherlands missed out on two gold medals in astonishing style on Saturday night (August 19).
First, in an extraordinary women’s 10,000m final which came down to a last-lap burn-up, Sifan Hassan was denied a successful start to her pursuit of three titles in the Hungarian capital when she tangled with Gudaf Tsegay, appearing to be tripped by Ethiopia’s 5000m world champion, and fell to the track right when on course for victory.
The dust had yet to settle on that piece of sporting theatre, however, when the second act quickly followed in the final event of the evening. Dutch star Femke Bol seemed to be leading her nation to mixed 4x400m relay gold but cramp struck the European champion barely a handful of steps from the line, causing her to also take a tumble which allowed the USA to clinch the title in a world record-breaking time of 3:08.80. Great Britain landed silver, with a national record of 3:11.06.
(Getty)
The climax to the night felt like it had happened at breakneck speed, completely the opposite of how this 10,000m epic had begun. The pace was sedate, with none of the major contenders willing to either play their hand or force the pace in what were very hot and humid conditions.
As each lap ticked down, any hint of a move was snuffed out as spikes broke skin, elbows jostled and the tension began to rise when it became clear that each of the competitors was going to rely on their finishing speed.
At the bell, a little over a second separated the top eight and it was at 200m to go that the fireworks were truly lit. Hassan, who had come through the 1500m heats earlier in the day and will also contest the 5000m later in the championships, surged and Tsegay followed. The world record-holder and defending champion Letesenbet Gidey was also in hot pursuit along with fellow countrywoman Ejgayehu Taye as what had been a tight group finally began to fracture.
Both Hassan and Tsegay have impressive 1500m pedigrees – the Dutchwoman is a former world champion while the latter holds the indoor world record – and neither was about to relent.
As Tsegay drew closer to her opponent on the home straight, Hassan remained in lane two as she tried to hold the lead. The Ethiopian refused to deviate, however,…
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