5,000 metres, Men

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) had won this event at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and came in as the favorite, although Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) had recently run the second fastest time ever for the distance, with 12:36.73 at the Bislett Games in Oslo, in May 2024. Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) was the defending gold medalist and world record holder and had just won the 10K in Paris, but he elected not to run the 5,000.

The final was supposed to contain 16 runners but, because of jostling incidents in the heats, with several falls, six extra runners were advanced to the final by the referees, and 22 athletes took to the mark in the final. The final was slow and, with a kilometre remaining, there were still 14 runners in the main group. Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune then increased the pace, with his teammate Gebrhiwet being dragged along with him. Gebrhiwet made his move with 600 metres remaining and had a 5-metre lead at the bell.

Ingebrigtsen had not been among the leaders at the bell but clawed his way back and caught Gebrhiwet with 200 metres to go. With his speed, the gold medal was his to take, and he did so easily, running 26.5 for the final 200. Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi and the USA’s Grant Fisher had the next best finishes to take silver and bronze, as Gebrhiwet fell back to fifth place. Kwemoi was in his first major 5,000 race, while Fisher had also won bronze in the 10,000 metres a few days before, the first American ever to medal in both events at the Olympics.