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An Olympic Runner Fell During The Last Lap Of The 1,500. She Still Won The Race

Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan wins the race in the first round of women's 1,500-meter heats at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday.
Matthias Hangst
/
Getty Images
Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan wins the race in the first round of women's 1,500-meter heats at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday.

TOKYO — Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan was entering the final lap of her 1,500-meter heat when the runner in front of her tripped, bringing Hassan crashing to the ground.

Suddenly well behind the leaders, she stood up and turned on the gas.

Eleven of the world's fastest runners stood between her and victory. With astonishing drive, she blazed by them one by one, rapidly making up ground.

On the final straightaway, Hassan surged and passed the front pack of five runners. She'd won the heat. You can watch her comeback here.

Hassan, 28, will compete in the semifinal of the 1,500 meter on Wednesday. She came to the Olympic Games aiming to make history with golds in the 1,500 meter, 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter — something no man or woman has done at a single Olympics.

Because she pulled off the unbelievable on Monday local time, she's still on track.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Edinah Jebitok of Kenya trip and fall during their 1,500-meter heat on Monday.
Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Edinah Jebitok of Kenya trip and fall during their 1,500-meter heat on Monday.

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Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.