How can we assess Hassan's impressive performances across a wide range of distances when no one else is doing it? She is competing for the Netherlands which means she can pick whatever distance combinations she wants to race at the Olympics and Worlds. Athletes competing for talent-rich countries are limited to 2 events at best simply because there is so much competition for each slot. So Hassan has the distance versatility GOAT all to herself by default. Over the years there probably were a dozen athletes who could have achieved her feats but weren't permitted to try. So Hassan should be the inaugural GOAT of versatility but with multiple asterisks and with the expectation that she will be dethroned soon by transplanted fugitives running for Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Brunei, Azerbaijan etc...
How can we assess Hassan's impressive performances across a wide range of distances when no one else is doing it? She is competing for the Netherlands which means she can pick whatever distance combinations she wants to race at the Olympics and Worlds. Athletes competing for talent-rich countries are limited to 2 events at best simply because there is so much competition for each slot. So Hassan has the distance versatility GOAT all to herself by default. Over the years there probably were a dozen athletes who could have achieved her feats but weren't permitted to try. So Hassan should be the inaugural GOAT of versatility but with multiple asterisks and with the expectation that she will be dethroned soon by transplanted fugitives running for Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Brunei, Azerbaijan etc...
This is a good point, but a little reductive when it comes to Hassan's achievements. You're absolutely right and it's a great point that if Hassan were running for say Ethiopia, she almost certainly wouldn't have been allowed to run all these triples.
But still, how many athletes have won a global 1500m medal and a major marathon even over a WHOLE CAREER? And that's just the tip of the iceberg of what Hassan has been able to accomplish.
"In 1962 Rudolph retired from competition at the peak of her athletic career as the world record-holder in the 100- and 200-meter individual events and the 4 × 100-meter relays."
From Wikipedia:
"Rudolph retired from track competition at the age of twenty-two, following victories in the 100-meter and 4 x 100-meter-relay races at the U.S.–Soviet meet at Stanford University in 1962."
That doesn't significantly differ from what I said above. She retired that year - still a winner - and before her 100m wr was broken.
Rudolph's last two days of competition were July 21-22, 1962, competing in front of crowds of 72,500 and 81,000, respectively.
I thought the point being made was she was a loser because someone took her wr in the 100m - which was after she retired, which they tended to do in the amateur era.
This post was edited 32 seconds after it was posted.
How can we assess Hassan's impressive performances across a wide range of distances when no one else is doing it? She is competing for the Netherlands which means she can pick whatever distance combinations she wants to race at the Olympics and Worlds. Athletes competing for talent-rich countries are limited to 2 events at best simply because there is so much competition for each slot. So Hassan has the distance versatility GOAT all to herself by default. Over the years there probably were a dozen athletes who could have achieved her feats but weren't permitted to try. So Hassan should be the inaugural GOAT of versatility but with multiple asterisks and with the expectation that she will be dethroned soon by transplanted fugitives running for Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Brunei, Azerbaijan etc...
Makes no sense.
Gudaf Tsegay, could compete in 3 distances at the oly as she wished, failed in two of them and did not manage to run the 10k.
Femke Bol, could run the 400m 400H, she did not do it, why not?
Probably same answer. Now try take this knowledge to what Sifan did...
Assefa only raced once this year on fresh legs. Hassan was busy racking up medals and battling the alleged GOATs in each distance she races and defeating most of them. Wait for the head to head, Assefa will fall to Hassan who has a much better 800m PR.
Are you sure? Sifan will never hold the marathon world record. She will retire with none of the major world records. She maybe holds the one hour record? She is not the GOAT.
Are you sure? Sifan will never hold the marathon world record. She will retire with none of the major world records. She maybe holds the one hour record? She is not the GOAT.
She likely does hold the clean marathon WR. She also held the mile and 10k WRs at one point. Unless you're Usain Bolt or El G you can't expect your records to last forever. Women's running is crazy right now and records are falling left and right. The ONLY other woman who can challenge Sifan for the GOAT title is Kipyegon. No one has been more stellar when it matters. Tsegay, Gidey, Assefa, Ruth - they all have better PBs at their signature distances but NONE of then can hold a candle to the greatest and talent of Sifan Hassan
