2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 5000 metres

The men's 5000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics were held at the Olympic Stadium on 20 and 23 August

Medalists edit

Gold Silver Bronze
Kenenisa Bekele
  Ethiopia (ETH)
Bernard Lagat
  United States (USA)
James Kwalia C'Kurui
  Qatar (QAT)

Summary edit

In hindsight, this race was the confluence of many of the greats. Kenenisa Bekele was already the world record holder, the Woolworth double (5 and 10) Olympic champion and the champion at 10,000 here. At 27, this would be his last successful major championship race. At 35, Bernard Lagat (a Kenyan transplant to USA) would continue to medal internationally for another 5 years. Lagat was the defending champion and was the second fastest 1500 runner of all time. Eliud Kipchoge had the championship record from 2003 and would go on to greater fame in marathon running, winning the Olympic gold medal in 2016 and 2021. And setting the official world record in 2018 and the assisted world record in 2019. A lesser known British runner named Mo Farah was making his first World Championship final after disappointment in the 2008 Olympics. Two years later, he would go on to start a 6 year long major championship winning streak that would encompass two Olympics and four World Championships in both the 5 and 10.

With the mixture of strength runners like Bekele and Kipchoge, and kickers like Lagat and Farah, the strategy was a question mark. Could the strength runners burn off the kickers? Bekele started fast, and most of the field followed along in tow. Farah lagged 15 metres behind, 100 metres into the race. University of Wisconsin teammates Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky marked Bekele as the pace slowed at first. Bekele led with an uneven pace, running as fast as 60 seconds a lap and as slow as 64. Everybody else followed for 2300 metres until the Kenyan team, led by Joseph Ebuya all moved to the front as much to assert an even pace if not a fast pace. Bekele moved back to control the race, marked by Lagat, Kipchoge, Moses Ndiema Kipsiro and Kenyan transplant to Qatar, James Kwalia C'Kurui. Just under 800 metres to go, Ebuya stepped to the right and gave up. After coming to a virtual stop he jogged and rejoined the race well out of contention. The same five leaders remained together at the bell with Jesús España sprinting up to be in short lived contention. As they sped around the turn and into the backstretch, those five separated from the chasers. With España fading, Tegenkamp was the last left trying to bridge the gap. Bekele held the lead through the final turn, with Lagat moving into position to put his move on. Coming off the turn, Lagat pounced and took the lead, but only by inches. Side by side, Bekele on the inside and Lagat on the outside, the two sprinted shoulder to shoulder for 40 metres, then Bekele edged in front, slowly widening the gap for a little over a metre by the finish. Behind them Kwalia emerged from the group to take the bronze.

Records edit

World record   Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 12:37.35 Hengelo, Netherlands 31 May 2004
Championship record   Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 12:52.79 Paris, France 31 August 2003
World leading   Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 12:56.23 Rome, Italy 10 July 2009
African record   Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 12:37.35 Hengelo, Netherlands 31 May 2004
Asian record   Saif Saaeed Shaheen (QAT) 12:51.98 Rome, Italy 14 July 2006
North American record   Bob Kennedy (USA) 12:58.21 Zürich, Switzerland 14 August 1996
South American record   Marílson Gomes dos Santos (BRA) 13:19.43 Kassel, Germany 8 June 2006
European record   Mohammed Mourhit (BEL) 12:49.71 Brussels, Belgium 25 August 2000
Oceanian record   Craig Mottram (AUS) 12:55.76 London, Great Britain 30 July 2004

Qualification standards edit

A time B time
13:20.00 13:29.00

Schedule edit

Date Time Round
20 August 2009 18:55 Heats
23 August 2009 16:25 Final

Results edit

Heats edit

Qualification: First 5 in each heat(Q) and the next 5 fastest(q) advance to the final.

Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes
1 1 Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia (ETH) 13:19.77 Q
2 1 Matt Tegenkamp   United States (USA) 13:19.87 Q
3 1 Mo Farah   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) 13:19.94 Q
4 1 Vincent Kiprop Chepkok   Kenya (KEN) 13:20.24 Q
5 1 Jesús España   Spain (ESP) 13:20.40 Q
6 1 Chris Solinsky   United States (USA) 13:20.64 q
7 1 Joseph Ebuya   Kenya (KEN) 13:22.41 q
8 1 Anis Selmouni   Morocco (MAR) 13:22.95 q
9 2 Moses Ndiema Kipsiro   Uganda (UGA) 13:22.98 Q, SB
10 2 Eliud Kipchoge   Kenya (KEN) 13:23.34 Q
11 1 Teklemariam Medhin   Eritrea (ERI) 13:23.48 q
12 1 Collis Birmingham   Australia (AUS) 13:23.48 q
13 2 James Kwalia C'Kurui   Qatar (QAT) 13:23.57 Q
14 2 Bernard Lagat   United States (USA) 13:23.73 Q
15 2 Chakir Boujattaoui   Morocco (MAR) 13:23.83 Q
16 2 Bekana Daba   Ethiopia (ETH) 13:23.86
17 1 Saif Saaeed Shaheen   Qatar (QAT) 13:26.35
18 2 Samuel Tsegay   Eritrea (ERI) 13:26.78
19 1 Geofrey Kusuro   Uganda (UGA) 13:28.48 SB
20 2 Morhad Amdouni   France (FRA) 13:29.64
21 2 Kidane Tadasse   Eritrea (ERI) 13:30.85
22 2 Alemayehu Bezabeh   Spain (ESP) 13:33.52
23 1 Ali Abdosh   Ethiopia (ETH) 13:36.52 q
24 1 Daniele Meucci   Italy (ITA) 13:37.79
25 2 Evan Jager   United States (USA) 13:39.80
26 2 Hussain Jamaan Alhamdah   Saudi Arabia (KSA) 13:44.59
27 2 Alistair Cragg   Ireland (IRL) 13:46.34
28 2 Arne Gabius   Germany (GER) 13:49.13
29 2 Moses Kibet   Uganda (UGA) 13:52.38
30 2 Sergio Sánchez   Spain (ESP) 13:53.51
31 2 Marco Joseph   Tanzania (TAN) 13:53.67
32 2 Tonny Wamulwa   Zambia (ZAM) 14:01.67 SB
33 1 Etienne Bizimana   Burundi (BDI) 14:06.02 PB
34 1 Yuichiro Ueno   Japan (JPN) 14:30.76
35 2 Mohamed Ali Mohamed   Somalia (SOM) 14:34.62 PB
36 2 Omar Abusaid   Palestine (PLE) 15:14.88 PB
1 Byron Piedra   Ecuador (ECU) DNF
1 Juan Luis Barrios   Mexico (MEX) DNS
1 Fabiano Joseph Naasi   Tanzania (TAN) DNS

Key: PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best

Final edit

Rank Name Nationality Time Notes
  Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia (ETH) 13:17.09
  Bernard Lagat   United States (USA) 13:17.33
  James Kwalia C'Kurui   Qatar (QAT) 13:17.78
4 Moses Ndiema Kipsiro   Uganda (UGA) 13:18.11 SB
5 Eliud Kipchoge   Kenya (KEN) 13:18.95
6 Ali Abdosh   Ethiopia (ETH) 13:19.11
7 Mo Farah   Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) 13:19.69
8 Matthew Tegenkamp   United States (USA) 13:20.23
9 Vincent Kiprop Chepkok   Kenya (KEN) 13:21.31
10 Jesús España   Spain (ESP) 13:22.07
11 Chakir Boujattaoui   Morocco (MAR) 13:23.05
12 Chris Solinsky   United States (USA) 13:25.87
13 Joseph Ebuya   Kenya (KEN) 13:39.59
14 Anis Selmouni   Morocco (MAR) 13:44.59
15 Teklemariam Medhin   Eritrea (ERI) 13:44.65
16 Collis Birmingham   Australia (AUS) 13:55.58

Key: SB = Seasonal best

Splits edit

Intermediate Athlete Country Mark
1000m Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia 2:54.35
2000m Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia 5:34.17
3000m Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia 8:14.63
4000m Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia 10:52.22

References edit

General
Specific