| Victoria Jackson
Before I get to the brilliance that is Sifan Hassan, first, I should explain what exactly we mean by a “VAR” blog. VAR, or video assistant referee, is a recent technology enhancement to the game of soccer for the purpose of video scrutiny of the play as well as the initial call by the ref. Certain types of plays automatically trigger VAR; others are at the discretion of the referee. For our purposes, VAR is our opportunity to review timely sport topics from our Great Game Lab perspective. These are not “hot takes” (though if you disagree with us, you might consider them to be); they are our effort to shine a broader contextual spotlight on a current event that we think might require some deeper (and, hopefully, clearer) perspective.
Now, back to Sifan Hassan! As we close out a fantastic year in sports, one highlighted by Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, my most memorable moment in sports in 2024 was Sifan Hassan’s sprint finish to earn gold in the women’s marathon at the Olympic Games. The Dutch star runner already had 20,000 meters of racing in her legs when the race commenced at the Hôtel de Ville (city hall), having competed in two rounds of the 5,000 meters and the final of the 10,000 meters and taking bronze in both events. After another 25 miles on the rugged, hilly Paris course, and having not been able to shake Tigst Assefa, Hellen Obiri, and Sharon Lokedi with a mile to go, running insiders assumed that Hassan was doomed and surely would be unable to muster a sprint finish to match the fresh legs of her rivals, particularly Kenya’s speedy Obiri, known for her deadly kick.
But in the most shocking performance of the Olympic Games, as the four weaved their way toward the Esplanade des Invalides, Hassan miraculously managed to find that extra gear and blasted her way to the finish line to the delight of the thousands of screaming fans along the final stretch. She broke the Olympic record on a challenging course and warm day, and on what one would assume to be tired legs (though considering this wasn’t Hassan’s first treble at a global championships perhaps we should consider the possibility that Hassan doesn’t hold the capacity to tire).
Hassan’s surprises did not end there (at least to those unfamiliar with Hassan). The women’s marathon was among the very last events of the Games, and so the medalists got to enjoy their podium moment during the closing ceremony and before a massive global TV audience. The Dutch runner rose to the top of the podium in hijab, in France, where, controversially, Muslim French athletes who typically compete wearing the veil were prohibited from doing so at the Games. But France’s secularism rules could not regulate athletes from other countries, so the champion from the Netherlands proudly wore her hijab, as she often does when not competing and for formal occasions, like a medal ceremony.
I can’t wait to see what the 2024 World Athletics Athlete of the Year will set out to achieve in 2025; one thing’s for sure… it won’t be simple or predictable!