Sifan Hassan fell in her 1,500-meter run - and still managed to finish first

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Dutch runner Sifan Hassan and Kenyan Edinah Jebitok take a trip and crash in a 1,500-meter heat on August 2. — Dutch runner Sifan Hassan and Kenyan Edinah Jebitok travel and fall in a 1,500-meter heat on August 2. (Matthias Hangst / Getty Images)

Dutch runner Sifan Hassan launched her bid for an unprecedented triple crown distance on Monday, and she got off to a wild start.

With one lap remaining in Hassan’s 1,500-meter series, the runner in front of her tripped and fell. Hassan then stumbled upon her, and it seemed his attempt to make history was in jeopardy.

Kenyan runner Edinah Jebitok falls, tripping Sifan Hassan in a heat of 1,500 meters on Monday. (Michael Steele / Getty Images)

But Hassan was able to get up quickly and start running. Then she turned on the jets.

As the heat drew to a close, she had passed most of the peloton. By the last stop she was somehow back in the game.

Sifan Hassan crosses the finish line to finish first in a 1,500-meter heat on Monday. (Phil Noble / Reuters)

In the final stages, Hassan took the lead and managed to win the round in a photo finish. She ran the 1500 meters – just under a mile – in 4: 05.17, despite a fall halfway through.

Hassan will pick up her first gold medal tonight in Tokyo in the women’s 5,000-meter final.