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Sifan Hassan reveals how talking to self while racing helps her to conquer fear and this helps her bring her A-game.
Paris Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan, one of the most decorated athletes in recent times, has spilled the beans about one thing that has made her a dominant force in her specialties.
While most athletes, whether on track or road races focus entirely on the job at hand, the 31-year-old said she normally talks to herself.
Hassan, the only athlete in Olympic history to win medals across a middle-distance event and both long-distance races in a single Games, added that self conversation is the biggest part of her motivation. "When I race, really, I talk too much. I can’t stop talking,“ Hassan, the double bronze medalist in Paris, told World Athletics.
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20:24 - 17.12.2024
'I cursed myself' - Dutch star Sifan Hassan reveals biggest regret the night before her Paris Olympic marathon glory
Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan was suffering from exhaustion and doubted her ability to clinch gold in Paris.
The three-time World Indoor medalist maintained that she normally wakes up very early and meditates on what the race holds for her and it was a similar case in Paris.
"I woke up at 4am and I was telling myself: 'This is the wrong thing I have done'. Then before the race, I looked at everybody and how fresh they were. And I looked terrible! I was so scared of myself. I tried talking to myself then, getting ready to use my brain to run," she observed.
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17:17 - 05.12.2024
'Drama follows me' - Sifan Hassan reveals how she outsprinted Hellen Obiri and Tigist Assefa to claim marathon gold in Paris
Sifan Hassan had doubts heading into the marathon and the challenges she faced spurred her to victory.
Hassan was born in Adama, Ethiopia but she left her home country as a refugee and arrived in the Netherlands in 2008 at age 15.
She acquired Dutch citizenship in 2013. She held a world record at 10,000m for two days in June 2021.Hassan holds six European records (1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m, half marathon, marathon) and three other Dutch records.
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