INCREDIBLE

Dutch Athlete Keeps Triple Gold Dream Alive Despite Fall in 1500m Heat

Dutch athlete vying for an unprecedented Olympic triple chases down the pack and wins after taking a spill in her 1500-meter heat.

For a moment, Sifan Hassan’s dream of an unprecedented Olympic triple in the 1500m, 5,000m and 10,000m in Tokyo appeared to have gone. The Dutch athlete found herself 25 meters behind the pack after taking a tumble just before the bell rang for the last lap of her 1500m heat. But she got back up and dug in deep along the back straightaway to overtake the field, catching up with the leading group in plenty of time to take the win in 4:05.17. The fall may still have put paid to her audacious treble. The 28-year-old, who was clearly limping after the race, has less than 12 hours to recover before lining up in the 5,000m final on Monday night in Tokyo (which begins at 8:40 a.m. in Eastern Time).