5,000 metres, Women

It was difficult to pick a favorite in this event but several runners were expected to battle for the medals. Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan was the defending gold medalist and was trying to win the 5K-10K-marathon triple in Paris. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon won the 2023 World Championships, doubling there in this event and the 1,500 metres. Her teammate Beatrice Chebet was the road World Champion and had taken gold at 5,000 in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Diamond League Final. Finally, the world record holder was Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay, who had set the mark of 14:00.21 in September 2023, at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

The final started out at a pedestrian pace, passing 800 metres in 2:31.1, before Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal moved to the front and increased the tempo. She led through 2,000 metres, and then Tsegay and her teammate, Ejgayehu Taye, moved to the front, stringing out the pack behind them. Kipyegon moved ahead with four laps remaining, and slowed the pace, holding out for her renowned kick. The sprinting started with 2½ laps remaining. Just before the penultimate lap, Tsegay tried to move ahead and she and Kipyegon shoved each other. Kipyegon moved ahead with 500 metres remaining but Chebet had the most left and outsprinted her on the final lap, pulling away to win gold by over a second, with Kipyegon finishing second and Hassan coming up for the bronze medal.

Then, it was announced that Kipyegon was disqualified for the pushing she had done when Tsegay tried to pass her, although it seemed Tsegay had initiated the contact. Team Kenya appealed that decision and it was reversed, with Kipyegon restored to the silver medal position. Tsegay had nothing left on the final lap and finished ninth. Four days after this final, Beatrice Chebet would return to win the distance double, taking gold in the 10,000 metres. This had been done only twice before, by Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) in 2008 and by Sifan Hassan at Tokyo in 2020.