"I need to test myself" - Sifan Hassan gears up for 2023 London Marathon

Sifan Hassan, the current Olympic 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter champion, says she is ready to run in the 2023 London Marathon.

Speaking to the BBC, Hassan spoke about her plans for the Paris Olympics. She sees the London Marathon as a great occasion to test her abilities.

"Before I can make a final decision on which direction to go, I need to test myself over the marathon distance and I believe the best place for me to do that is in London with the best female marathon athletes around me. It will be a step into the unknown in many ways for me but I’m looking forward to it."

The Dutch athlete, who also captured bronze in the 1500-meter at the Tokyo Olympics, will compete in her first marathon on April 23, in the 2023 London Marathon. She will be up against three world record holders.

Despite this, Hassan will continue to aim for a summer track season as she makes preparations for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Sifan Hassan, who is just the second woman to achieve an Olympic distance double, will compete in London against a top-tier field. It includes Peres Jepchirchir, the Olympic marathon winner, and Brigid Kosgei, the record-holder for the fastest marathon in Kenya.

The 1500-meter record holder Genzebe Dibaba will compete with fellow Ethiopian and 2022 victor Yalemzerf Yehualaw.

The 23-year-old Yehualaw, who in February 2022 broke the world mark for the 10,000-meter, is the third fastest among women in the history of the London Marathon. She won in two hours, 17 minutes, and 26 seconds.

Eilish McColgan, a 10,000-meter winner for Great Britain at the Commonwealth Games, will compete in her first marathon in 2023.

Four of the top-five historically fastest runners have been declared as participants for the elite men's field of the London Marathon. Mo Farah, a four-time Olympic track champion from the United Kingdom, will bid his home crowd an "emotional goodbye."

The London Marathon will be aired live on BBC TV, iPlayer, and online in 2023, when it returns to its pre-pandemic spring time slot for the first time in three years.

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Sifan Hassan's career

Sifan Hassan was born in Ethiopia but became a Dutch citizen in 2013. She started her professional career back in 2011.

However, Hassan's breakthrough season came in 2013. She won gold in the 800 meters at KBC Night of Athletics. She also came out victorious in the 1500 meters at the Nijmegen Global Athletics and Golden Spike Ostrava meets.

Hassan has won three gold medals in the Diamond League so far. Her first Diamond League gold medal came in 2015 when she won a gold in the 1500-meter. The other two golds came in 2019 when she won the 1500-meter and 5000-meter.

Sifan Hassan also holds four medals at the World Championships, two golds, and two bronze medals.

The 30-year-old long-distance runner has competed in two Olympic events so far. In her first Olympics in Rio in 2016, she did not have a great time in terms of medal counts.

However, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sifan Hassan won two golds and one silver medal. She came first in both the 5000-meter and 10,000-meter races, and finished third in the 1500-meter race.