Dylan Bettencourt
USifan Hassan, owayengumbaleki manje uncintisana ngaphansi kwe-Netherlands, uthole indondo yegolide emcintisanweni wabesifazane we-10,000m ngesikhathi engama-29:55.23, eshaya ophethe irekhodi lomhlaba kule nqubo.
Wabe esethatha igolide emjahweni we-5,000m futhi wawina ithusi emjahweni we-1500m ukuqedela lo mqhudelwano.
UHassan uba ngumsubathi wesibili kuphela owake wazuza izindondo emijahweni emithathu kulandelana kuma-Olimpiki awodwa.
Omunye kwakunguFanny Blankers, naye owayengumgijimi waseDashi owaba ngowokuqala ngowe-1948.
UHassan wazalelwa e-Ethiopia kodwa kwadingeka ukuba abalekele e-Netherlands ngowezi-2008 eneminyaka eyi-15 nje kuphela. Wabe esethuthela endaweni yokukhosela yabantu abafuna ukukhoseliswa.
“Ngempela nganginempilo emangalisayo ngaze ngaba neminyaka eyi-14,” esho.
“Ngangidlala ngaphandle futhi ngangijabule. Ngemuva kweminyaka eyi-14, ngaba nobunzima ngempela. Impilo yangibeka phansi kakhulu, kodwa ngilapha namuhla”.
Ukufakazela ubuchule bakhe, waqeda umjaho we-100m wokugcina womjaho we-10km ngemizuzwana eyi-13.6, kwaphela imizuzwana emithathu kuphela kune-100m yabesifazane.
UHassan uthe ubelwa nesifo sengqondo ngaphambi kwalo mncintiswano: “Kwesinye isikhathi emasontweni amabili adlule, ngavuka ebubini obunzima ngazibuza: ‘Kungani kufanele ngizicindezele kangaka?’ Kodwa kukhona okuthile kimi okwathi qhubekela phambili. Ngicabanga ukuthi ngangihlanya, kodwa manje ngijabule ngempela”.
Umthombo wesithombe: @TheNewYorkTimes