Dutch Olympian Sifan Hassan Named Best Athlete in The World 2024

During the World Athletics awards ceremony in Monaco, Sifan Hassan was chosen as the Best Athlete in The World 2024. She is the first Dutch athlete to be awarded this distinction.

The Olympic marathon champion bagged the first place in the road races, also known as the "out of stadium" category.

At the Games in Paris, Sifan became the first female athlete to compete in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter track distances. In the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, she took home bronze. Despite taking a day off between the marathon and the latter distance, Hassan was still able to win gold at 42.195 kilometers. In a stunning final sprint, she defeated Ethiopian Tigist Assefa.

The 31-year-old has previously been nominated for the honorary title, including in 2019 and 2021. She won two world titles (1500 meters and 10,000 meters) in 2019 and in 2021 and was named the queen of the Games in Tokyo with Olympic gold on the 5000 and 10,000 meters and bronze on the 1500 meters. The Dutch athlete of Ethiopian descent became the first athlete to combine these three distances at a championship.