Distance runner Sifan Hasan produced an extraordinary final lap recovery to win her 1500m heat and keep the dream of an Olympic gold medal treble alive.The Dutch star is aiming to be the first woman to win the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m at the same Games, but looked to be down and out of the 1500m after tripping over a fellow competitor with just under 400m to go.Hassan fell to the floor, following a tangle of legs and found herself at the back of the field. Miraculously, the 28-year-old managed to get to her feet, catch up the leading pack and then storm to victory in four minutes 5.17 seconds.After the race, many fans took to social media to heap praise on the runner. One wrote: “Just incredible”, while another put “I don’t think people appreciate how hard that is. Sick!”Some even joked that Hassan’s fall had given her an advantage as it gave her a few seconds to rest.“I hope this teaches everyone the importance of taking a little break,” a user said on Twitter.The reigning 1500m world champion has already won the 5000m at this Games –– storming to victory ahead of Kenya's Hellen Obiri, who claimed a second consecutive Olympic silver medal. While this has solidified her place in Olympic history, Hassan has long been renowned as one of the best distance runners on the planet and holds a number of records.The Ethiopian born star holds the world’s best time for the 5km road race, the mile, and the one hour run. She was once the holder of the 10,000m world record as well before Letesenbet Gidey bettered her time just two days later.

Other achievements include being the first athlete, male or female, to win both the 1500m and 10,000m at a single World Championships or Olympic Games.

It’s been an incredible journey for the distance runner, who fled her country of birth as a refugee and arrived in the Netherlands, aged 15. She began running while undertaking studies to become a nurse, and realised her talent soon after.

Given her success in the 5000m and incredible recovery in the 1500m heats, the prospect of Hassan claiming an unprecedented three gold medals is looking increasingly more likely.