Sifan Hassan breezed into the semi-finals of the 1,500m at the World Championships yesterday, just a day after her coach Alberto Salazar was hit with a doping ban.
The Ethiopian-born Dutch runner, who has already won a gold medal in the 10,000m in Doha, won her heat comfortably in a time of 4min 03.88sec ahead of Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon.
Hassan, who on Tuesday said she was “shocked” by the suspension of Salazar, did not speak to reporters after her race.
Another member of Salazar’s Nike-backed Oregon Project, Australia’s Jessica Hull, also made it through to the 1,500m semi-finals after finishing fifth in her heat.
Meanwhile, Jenny Simpson of the United States, who won the third 1,500m heat in a time of 4:07.27, said she was glad Salazar had been kicked out of the sport.
Asked for her reaction to Salazar’s four-year suspension, Simpson replied: “Get him out, that’s my reaction. If you cheat, you get banned. I’m a believer in lifetime bans. I wish it was longer. Don’t cheat.”
The 33-year-old 2016 Olympics bronze medallist meanwhile said there had long been suspicions over the Oregon Project.
“I mean anybody who knows anything about this sport knows there’s a black shadow, a black cloud over that group,” she said. “So why anyone chooses to be part of it I have no idea.”
Elsewhere yesterday, another Oregon Project distance runner, Germany’s 5,000m medal hope Konstanze Klosterhalfen, said she was stunned by Salazar’s ban.
“I was very shocked, I knew the team how great they are and how great they run,” said Klosterhalfen, who joined the group in November 2018.
“I just want to focus on my races,” added the German.
Klosterhalfen is trained by Pete Julian, who is also in charge of 800m winner Donovan Brazier of the US, and like the other athletes is not implicated in the affair which dates back to years they weren’t part of the group.
And Klosterhalfen said she sees no reason to leave again after one year over the affair.
“It was shocking news but it doesn’t affect us. I had no problems to concentrate, I just needed to control my nerves,” she said.
“I can only talk about what I see. It is the best team in the world,” she added, naming Salazar “the founding father”.
Klosterhalfen has made major improvements since joining the NOP, setting six national records, and she is also a medal contender in the 5,000m where she wants to “show the best race of the season”.
Sifan Hassan (second from right) of the Netherlands crosses the finish line ahead of Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon (second from left) and Nikki Hiltz (centre) of the US to win the women’s 1500m heats at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday. (AFP)
