Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres
Sifan Hassan won gold in a dramatic final lap.
The women's 5000 metres race at the 2020 Summer Olympics was scheduled for July 30 and August 2, 2021, inside the Japan National Stadium. Around 45 athletes were anticipated to participate, though the final count hinged on how many countries used universality spots beyond the 42 who qualified by time or ranking.
Quick Facts
- Event
- Women's 5000 metres
- Games
- 2020 Summer
- Venue
- Japan National Stadium
- Dates
- 30 July 2021 (heats); 2 August 2021 (final)
- Competitors
- 38
- Nations
- 21
- Win value
- 14:36.79
- Gold
- Sifan Hassan
Facts from the source article.
Summary
Sifan Hassan had announced her intention to attempt the 1500, 5000, and 10,000 metres triple at the Olympics. Before the Games, she had won the 1500 and 10,000 metres at the World Championships. Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya, the 2016 Olympic champion in the 5000 metres, did not compete in 2020. Hellen Obiri, also of Kenya, had been second in Rio and won the 5000 metres at the 2019 World Championships. Earlier on the day of the final, during the qualifying heat for the 1500 metres, Hassan fell but recovered to win her heat and qualify for the semi-finals. The 5000 metres final started slowly, with Elise Cranny taking an early lead as Hassan dropped to the back. Ririka Hironaka then ran around the pack and assumed the lead, and over the next three laps the pack allowed Hironaka to break away by as much as 10 metres. The Kenyan trio of Hellen Obiri, Agnes Jebet Tirop, and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, the Ethiopian trio of Gudaf Tsegay, Senbere Teferi, and Ejgayehu Taye, and Kenyan-born Turkish athlete Yasemin Can then moved forward. With three laps to go, the lead group accelerated and Hassan moved up from the rear to the back of that group. Rengeruk fell off, leaving the three Ethiopians, two Kenyans, Can, and Hassan. On the penultimate lap, Hassan moved up two more positions as Can and Teferi could not match the pace. All leaders strove to be first at the bell, going four wide across the track, followed by Hassan. At the start of the final lap, Hassan moved to the outside and increased her pace, passing Tirop, Taye, and Tsegay on the turn, then passing leader Obiri mid-backstretch. Obiri sprinted to hold her off but could not match Hassan's speed, and Hassan carried the lead into the final turn. Coming out of the turn, she accelerated again, opening a 12-metre gap down the final straight and winning gold in 14:36.79. Obiri finished second in 14:38.36, and Tsegay took bronze in 14:38.87. It was Obiri's second straight silver.
Qualification
A National Olympic Committee could enter up to three qualified athletes in the women's 5000 metres if all met the entry standard or qualified by ranking during the qualifying period. The limit of three had been in place since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The qualifying standard was 15:10.00, set solely to qualify athletes with exceptional performances unable to qualify through the IAAF World Rankings pathway. World rankings, based on the average of an athlete's best five results over the qualifying period and weighted by meet importance, were used to fill the cap of 42 athletes. The qualifying period originally ran from 1 May 2019 to 29 June 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was suspended from 6 April 2020 to 30 November 2020, with the end date extended to 29 June 2021. The world rankings period start date was changed from 1 May 2019 to 30 June 2020; athletes who had met the qualifying standard during the earlier period remained qualified, but those using world rankings could not count performances from that time. Qualifying time standards could be obtained in various IAAF-approved meets during the given period, including indoor and outdoor meets. The most recent Area Championships could be counted in the ranking even if not during the qualifying period. NOCs could also use a universality place, allowing each NOC to enter one female athlete regardless of time if they had no female athletes meeting the entry standard for an athletics event.
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