I’m only 21 so I have many more years in the sport,” added Hassan, who speaks good English as well as Dutch. The stage is starting to be set for an intriguing battle at the European Championships next month.

Where is Sifan Hassan from?

Sifan Hassan was born in Adama, Oromia, Ethiopia and raised in the countryside of Kersa in the Munesa district of the Arsi Zone of Oromia. She was a recreational runner there. She left Ethiopia as a refugee and arrived in the Netherlands in 2008 at age fifteen.

How many miles is a marathon run?

READ MORE: The Olympic Marathon’s Outlandish Early History

The random boost in mileage ending up sticking, and in 1921 the length for a marathon was formally standardized at 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers).

Why did Sifan Hassan move to the Netherlands?

Hassan was born in Ethiopia but moved to the Netherlands aged 15 as a refugee in 2008. She went on to train as a nurse and received Dutch citizenship in 2013. Keeping her life private is important to Hassan, who rarely speaks about her reasons for leaving Ethiopia.

Is Sifan Hassan a refugee?

For all her athletic prowess, Hassan spent her teenage years as a refugee in the Netherlands. Her family had moved from Ethiopia in 2008, when the star was 15 years old. With only a pair of old training shoes and while living with other asylum seekers, Hassan kept working hard to train and improve herself.

What is the Netherlands good at in the Olympics?

Dutch athletes have won 322 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, with swimming and cycling as the top medal-producing sports. The nation has won another 130 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, of which 121 have come from speed skating.