Sifan Hassan. The Olympics. And My Sobriety Win.
How one race changed the trajectory of my sobriety journey.
Sifan Hassan
Have you heard of her? Unless you are a big track fan, you probably haven’t.
Who is she?
Sifan Hassan is a 29-year-old Ethiopian-born Dutch world-record-holding Olympian. Among the many medals and records she has earned over the years, the ‘2020’ Tokyo Olympics did not disappoint.
Hassan is the only athlete in history to medal in the 5000 meters (gold), 10,000 meters (gold), and the 1500 meters (bronze) events in the same Olympic Games.
Those races were incredible, but I want to acknowledge a different race — the 1500 meter heat. This critical race would determine if Hassan were to stay in the Olympics or not. She needed to place at least sixth to move on to the next round. Hassan started the race strong. Staying in the back for the first few minutes was her typical strategy, and things were going as planned. Rounding the corner about to break from the pack, it happened. Unexpectedly the runner directly in front of her tripped. While she tumbled — Hassan was caught in the crossfire and was unfairly knocked to the ground. The runners kept racing forward. It was the scene right out of Cool Runnings.
Witnessing the fall, I instantly felt defeat for her. I was sure that after being projected to win, Hassan just fell out of the race, and it was the end of the road for her. Within the millisecond it took me to have those thoughts, she looked up, got her bearings, and jumped back up on her feet. And just like that, she was off again.
It was the final lap, and the entire pack was getting further away; the announcers were not optimistic. If she didn’t catch up to the five leading runners, her time at the Olympics would be over. Hassan was not going down without a fight. She got up with determination in her eyes and strength in her legs. Like a gazelle, she caught up to the back of the pack and closed in the gap. That was it! She was in the top six and would qualify for the next round! That is a remarkable feat… it just wasn’t the remarkable feat she was aiming toward. She kept pushing, fighting to the end. In the final 15 seconds, she went from the middle of the pack to cross the finish line FIRST. She WON!
The thing about this story is that I never watched the 2020/21 Tokyo Olympics. I didn’t watch the opening or closing ceremonies; I didn’t watch a single match or follow any of it online. It was as if they weren’t happening — of course, I knew they were. ‘Clickable/shareable’ articles flooded social media but not much about the athletes or the races themselves. I saw memes about the women’s handball team that was getting fined for wearing shorts instead of bikinis — it feels gross typing those words.
I saw memes of the lifeguard looking bored while watching world-class swimmers do laps in a pool. Funny memes were suggesting silly ways to change up the games. And, of course, the countless rude memes about Simone Biles. What I never saw was a meme of Sifan Hassan. And let’s face it — her race is very meme-worthy.
So, how do I know who she is?
I was tired, hung over and reluctantly showed up for dinner with the family. The bar and grill was busy and loud, and I felt squished sitting anxiously in the corner, waiting for the server to take our orders. The lights and sounds from the TV on the wall caught my eye. We were in a sports bar, and the Olympics was on every screen. The network was showing female runners preparing for the 1500-meter prelim heat. I am not a fan of running, I haven’t been watching the Olympics, and I had no idea who was on the TV. Still, I couldn’t look away. The race was drawing me in. As the racers lined up in their famous starting stance, I remember telling my sister not to talk to me while I watched it. The racers and announcers had me completely invested now. I watched every minute of the race, and I felt ecstatic after witnessing this amazing woman fall during such an important race, then GET UP and WIN.
This woman indeed will be talked about all over social media after a triumph like this, I thought. Then… crickets. I didn’t hear a word about it. And all I could think was that the media looked past another strong, talented, inspiring black woman once again. I hope that her country celebrated her the way she deserved.
I will not forget this race, and I will not forget the feeling of inspiration I felt watching Sifan Hassan finish this race.
She inspired me.
I’ve wanted to write about this remarkable woman, Sifan Hassan, since I saw the race in August 2021. Writer’s block hit me hard, and I couldn’t find the words to express how important this moment was.
Remember, I had not watched a single minute of the Olympics before finding myself in this restaurant facing a TV that just happened to have this specific race showing. In AA, there are unexplainable moments that happen — these are the moments we refer to as “higher power” moments or “god shots”.
My higher power had been watching me struggle for months, trying everything to stay sober. I kept falling. I kept failing. I was not in a great place emotionally, and when my family asked me to come to dinner that night, it took everything out of me to get up and out of the house. Then, as I arrived and sat down, I was immediately drawn to the TV. Again… I don’t like running. I detest sports. I have been to plenty of sports bars with games playing, and I never pay attention to any of them.
My higher power put everything in place for me that day because I needed to watch that race. I needed to watch this incredible woman show me what I needed to do. She showed me that even the best of the best fall sometimes. She showed me that the years of training, working tirelessly toward her goal, and talent don’t prevent her from falling. Instead, it was what got her to get back up and win. She showed me that I may have fallen, but it was not the end of the road for me. It was time for me to get back up on my feet and run my ass off to that finish line. It was finally time for me to win.
I have done training (therapy) and have worked (AA) tirelessly for years now. All the knowledge I have gained over those years did not prevent me from falling. It did, however, get me back up to finish the race.
Sifan Hassan’s race occurred on August 1, 2021. I have not had a drink since that day.
