Hassan is the GOAT female distance runner

Uhh I suspect SH does not need any divine help to outkick obiri.

Dibaba has 3 Olympic Golds, 5 World Championship Golds, 4 World Cross Golds, and also won a World Marathon Major (Chicago). She also held the 5000m WR.

Hassan has 2 Olympic Golds, 2 World Championship Golds, 0 World Cross Titles, and has won a World Marathon Major (London). She also set a 10,000m WR.

Just based on the numbers, she isn't there yet. If she wins another World Title, and Olympic Gold, maybe sets another WR, and wins another WMM - she might just edge ahead.

The Chef has it spot on.

Look at the World Athletics tables - 1:56.8 is 1220 points; 2:18:37 is 1248 points. The male equivalents are 1:43.5 and 2:04:49. Let that one sink in for a bit. How many 1:43 guys are there in the world who've run 2:04 ... like less than zero.

The RANGE that this women has it flicking amaze balls.

Put Gidey in a RACE with Hassan and she will always lose. Tokyo proved it.

One way to decide who the GOAT is, is with a thought experiment: if you were going to take a distance team to the Olympics made up of five copies of ONE runner, which runner would you take? The no-brainer answer is Sifan Hassan.

• 800m - 1:56 = ultra-legit, medal contender
• 1500m - 3:51 = 2nd or 3rd best ever
• 5000m - 14:22 = top three in the world
• 10,000m - 29:06 = top three all time
• Marathon - 2:18 with a next-level, championship kick

She certainly is the most entertaining. Her interviews alone are epic, not to mention her dramatic and almost comedic tactical races.

Sifan is certainly one of the greatest and so impressive because she always looks very vulnerable in her events. But struggles through and finds a way to overcome and win.

She falls over and wins, stops and starts and wins. She could run backwards and win. What a ridiculous sport.

For one Olympics, sure. But what if the task is to choose such a team to win as much as possible over the course of 15 years across multiple distances on the track, the roads, and cross country. I’m taking Tirunesh Dibaba.

It's pure doping. There is always one athlete that just dares you not to notice, like Armstrong.

It is so obvious to anyone who witnessed the rise of doping/epo in sports. When she fell and won anyway she made a complete mockery of athletic integrity. She is another athletic fraud. I would not even care if not for the insipid goat comments, as if we don't know.

G Dibaba has faster PBs than Hassan in both the 1500 and marathon. Anyone that can run 3:50 is capable of running a world class time in the 800. She probably ran 1:57 in the last 800 of the 2015 WC.

Let's take a look back in time. Kipchoge was world 5k champion in 2003. His range is pretty amazing. How about K. Bekele? I believe he ran some fast 1500's as well as being double 5k 10k champion before setting world marathon record.

Hassan's progress is not that dramatic. She went from being a pure 1500 meter runner into a 5k, 10k runner under Salazar. Then she ran a 1/2. What makes her different is she moved up to the marathon while still in her prime.

Regarding Armstrong: He was not just one athlete. His entire team was doping as well as most of his main competitors. So if Hassan is doping ( I don't believe she is), then everyone around her is as well.

Fair enough, and I like that you added Cross Country. I consider that a huge part of our sport even though a lot of people seem to undervalue it. I wish it counted for more in most people's opinions.

Looking at their accomplishments though, I do think Hassan has a slight advantage. Here are Dibaba's palmarès:

• 1 x World champion
• 1 x Olympic Games Silver medalist
• 5 x World Indoor champion
• 1 x World Championships Bronze medallist
• 2 x World Cross Country champion
• 14 x Diamond League meeting winner
• 4 x Current World Record holder - 1500m, Mile ind., 3000m ind., 5000m ind.
• 6 x World Records in career

Here are Hassan's palmarès:

• 2 x Olympic champion
• 2 x World champion
• 1 x Diamond League Final winner
• 1 x World Indoor champion
• 1 x Olympic Games Bronze medalist
• 2 x World Championships Bronze medalist
• 18 x Diamond League meeting winner
• 2 x Current World Record holder - Mile, 1 Hour
• 4 x World Records in career

BTW, I just checked both their PRs and it is funny to see how close they are! Can we have two GOATS for the women? Hassan's times are on the left, Dibaba on the right.

• 800 - 1:56 / 1:59 - advantage Hassan
• 1500 - 3:51 / 3:50 - Dibaba
• 3000 - 8:18 / 8:21 - Hassan
• 5000 - 14:22 / 14:15 - Dibaba
• 10000 - 29:06 / 31:02 - Hassan (though Dibaba never really raced it)
  
• 1/2 Marathon - 1:05:15 / 1:05:18 - Hassan
• Marathon - 2:18:33 / 2:18:05 - Dibaba

It is fair to say that there is no real "difference" in these PRs. Given weather and competition and tactics, any of these tiny differences amount to nothing. That said, I think it is fair to consider them the two greatest female distance runners of all time.

Is there anyone else who compares to these two women?

P.S. I don't even disagree with you that this is very, very similar to what we saw with Lance or with what the current crop of Tour de France superstars (who are faster than Lance, BTW) are doing. You aren't wrong.

We are going to have to have the "who is the clean GOAT?" conversation on another thread though since too many of the top women are clearly in the same boat as Hassan in terms of their likelihood of doping, don't you think? Is Dibaba more obviously clean than Hassan?

yeah because you chose centrowitz for your example.

mo farah ran 3:28 in 2013 and won chicago in 2:05 in 2018. he won 5 golds on the track in between those two. geb held the marathon wr and was once 2nd all time behind el g in the indoor 15.

hasan didn’t win the 10k and the 1500 last year, that was 4 years ago.

if i’m not clear, this is not to take away from hasan, her range is amazing. this is to take away from the skepticism.

You are analyzing the wrong Dibaba!

All it needs is her coach and a physician. Easily done. But athletes today flaunt it.

Flojo, Kratochvilova and Marion Jones.