The World Athletics U20 Championships is a biennial world championships for the sport of athletics organised by the World Athletics, contested by athletes in the under-20 athletics age category (19 years old or younger on 31 December in the year of the competition.
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to 3 miles 188 yards or 16,404 feet 2 inches. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over 12+1⁄2 laps of a standard track. The same distance in road running is called a 5K run; referring to the distance in metres rather than kilometres serves to disambiguate the two events. The 5000 m has been present on the Olympic programme since 1912 for men and since 1996 for women. Prior to 1996, women had competed in an Olympic 3000 metres race since 1984. The 5000 m has been held at each of the World Championships in Athletics in men's competition and since 1995 in women's.
Hellen Onsando Obiri is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. She is a two-time Olympic 5000 metres silver medallist from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she also placed fourth over the 10,000 metres. She is a two-time world champion after winning the 5000m in 2017 and again in 2019, when she set a new championship record. Obiri also took bronze for the 1500 metres in 2013 and silver in the 10,000m in 2022. She won the 3000 metres race at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, claimed silver in 2014, and placed fourth in 2018. She holds the Kenyan national records for the mile, 3000 metres both out and indoors, and 5000 metres events.
Gudaf Tsegay Desta is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist in the women's 5000 metres. At the World Athletics Championships, she won a bronze for the 1500 metres in 2019 and a silver in this event and gold for the 5000 m in 2022. Tsegay is a two-time 1500 m World Indoor Championship medallist, winning gold in 2022 and bronze in 2016. She is the current world record holder in the indoor 1500 m, the event in which she also set world under-18 (current) and U20 records.
Letesenbet Gidey is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who holds three world records plus one world best. A 10,000 metres 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist at the World Athletics Championships, she won the silver medal in the event in 2019 and gold in 2022.
Selemon Barega Shirtaga is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a silver for the 5000 metres at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Barega is a two-time 3000 metres World Indoor Championship medallist, taking silver in 2018, and a gold in 2022.
Nadia Battocletti is an Italian female middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal for the 5000 metres at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships. Battocletti earned four individual gold medals in the U20 and U23 age groups at the European Cross Country Championships. She is the Italian record holder for the indoor 3000 metres and 5 km road race.
The men's 5000 metres at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships was held at the Kasarani Stadium on 19 August.
The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships was held at the Kasarani Stadium on 19 and 22 August.
The women's 1500 metres at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships was held at the Kasarani Stadium on 22 August.
The women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships was held at the Kasarani Stadium on 22 August.
The men's 5000 metres at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships was held at the Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia on 1 August 2022.
The women's 5000 metres at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships was held at the Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia on 6 August 2022.
