BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Sifan Hassan, of the Netherlands, smashed the world record for the women’s one-hour race by more than a lap when she ran 18,930 metres during the Brussels Diamond League meeting on Friday.
The Ethiopian-born athlete, who won gold in the 1500 and 10,000 metres at the world championships last year, ran 413 metres — more than one whole lap — further than the previous record of 18,517, set by Ethiopian Dire Tune in 2008.
The 27-year-old Hassan took control of the rarely-run race almost from the outset and surged away over the last minute of the endurance test to add to the mile world record she set at Monaco last year.
“An hour is long; it takes a lot of concentration and focus,” Hassan said. “After the first half, I found my rhythm. I’m really happy with this record”.
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, of Israel, was second, having covered 18,571 metres — also beating the previous record — while Kenya’s Eva Cherono finished third with 18,341.
(Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Ian Chadband)
