- Sifan Hassan diabetes took the internet by storm on Sunday at the 2023 London Marathon
- The Ethiopian-born Dutch-based runner won the women’s 2023 London Marathon
- It left many people asking a lot of questions about her medical history given her successful fete in London
Sifan Hassan diabetes took the internet by storm on Sunday after the Ethiopian-born Dutch-based runner won the women’s 2023 London Marathon.
It left many people asking a lot of questions about her medical history given her successful fete in London. Still, the big question is whether or not the long-distance runner is diabetic or not.
Here is the answer; Sifan Hassan has no diabetes. It was a make-believe internet grab by unknown people to make her trend.
Her team said that she was a subject of a celebrity hoax adding that she is in perfect health condition.
While she has faced a lot of challenges in her marathon career, diabetes isn’t one of them. The only one time she fell ill was sometime in January and it was a stomach issue.
Her coach Rowberry said that her illness was caused by the drinking water in Ethiopia. As a result, Hassan had to travel home and missed several weeks of training.
Beyond that, she is as fit as a fiddle.
Sifan Hassan at the 2023 London Marathon. Photo/The New York Times
SIFAN HASSAN WINNING 2023 LONDON MARATHON
With a sprint finish, Hassan won in two hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds despite nursing a hip problem earlier in the race. Over and beyond Sifan Hassan diabetes hoax, she took to stops to stretch her tight hip and the race leaders left her by a big gap.
However, she exemplifies never giving up by overcoming an accident by a race bike while collecting her drinking water. Hassan was 28 seconds behind the leaders at 25km and everyone thought she would drop out of the race because sit was evidently clear that she was struggling.
But she chose not to give up and eventually caught up with the lead group and won the marathon.
“I had a problem with my hip, which made me stop. But it started to feel a little bit better,” she spoke to BBC Sport.
She adds: “And then I missed one of the drinks stations. I didn’t practise that part of the race because I have been fasting [during Ramadan] and so that was quite difficult. But I needed it. At 20km I knew that I could kick on because I didn’t feel that tired and I didn’t care how I finished, I just wanted to get there.”
With all this pain and strong will to win, she sped down the mall and took lead ahead of the race leaders; Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu and Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir.
Winning the London Marathon meant so much to her because it’s her biggest dream even after self-doubting she could win. It is an unforgettable moment in her life and an inspiration to anyone who feels like giving up.
“London has been my dream. And now here I am, I was doubting that I could even finish. This is just amazing. I will never forget this in my whole life,” she further remarked.
WHO IS SIFAN HASSAN?
Sifan Hassan marathon. Photo/Evening Standard
Although she is a seasoned middle-distance and long-distance runner, the 2023 London Marathons came with the Sifan Hassan diabetes narrative. It left many confused, and wondering who she is.
The marathon champion traces back her birth to Oromia, Ethiopia and grew up in Kersa where she enjoyed participating in track events. However, she fled Ethiopia as a refugee to the Netherlands in 2008 when she was only 15. She pursued her dream career in nursing in the Netherlands where she obtained Dutch citizenship in 2013.
As a member of Eindhoven Atletiek, Hassan first ran competitively in the 2011 Eindhoven half marathon and finished first with a timing of 77:10. Yet, it was 2013 that marked her breakthrough in athletics.
She won the 1500 m race in the Nijmegen Global Athletics and Golden Spike Ostrava and recorded an 800 m personal best of 2:00.86 to win the KBC Night of Athletics. Hassan won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. She became the second Dutch woman athlete to win the medal after Dafne Schippers.
To decorate her athletics career she bagged a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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