Olympics 2021: Sifan Hassan overcomes a nasty fall to qualify for women's 1500m semis  

Dutch distance star Sifan Hassan stayed focused despite a fall on the last lap of the women’s 1500m heat at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Monday to qualify for the semifinal stage of the race.

Running in heat 2 of the women’s 1500m race, the 28-year-old athlete fell down at the start of the last lap. But she was quick on her toes and charged for home. She managed to catch up with the leading pack, which was 40m ahead of her, and then surged for the finish line. She won her heat with a time of 4 minutes 05.17 seconds to move into the semifinals.

The Ethiopian-born Sifan's plan for the 1500m heat was to conserve her energy as she is set to compete in the women’s 5000m final in the evening session.

As expected, Sifan trailed the leading pack for the majority of heat 2, but with nearly 400m to go, she tripped.

Sifan's arch rival Faith Kipyegon of Kenya comfortably won heat 3 with a time of 4 minutes 01.40 seconds.

The top six in each of the three heats and six fastest finishers qualified for the semis.

Sifan also plans to compete in the 10,000m track race in Tokyo. She is the first female distance runner aiming for gold medals in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m track races at the same Olympic Games.

At the 2019 Doha World Championships, she made history by winning gold medals in the 1500m and 10,000m. She was the first female runner to achieve the feat.

Athletes in the past have attempted the 5000m and 10,000m double at the Olympics, but Sifan is the first female runner to add the 1500m event to her menu.