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 400 m track, or 25 laps on an indoor 200 m 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.
Mohammed Ahmed is a Canadian long-distance runner. A three-time Olympian, he is his country's most successful athlete in long distance racing, being the first to medal in the 5000 metres at both the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
The men's 5000 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 16 and 20 August at the Olympic Stadium. The winning margin was 0.60 seconds.
Grant Jackson Fisher is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Fisher holds American records in the 3000 m, two mile, 5000 m, and 10,000 m events. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Fisher won bronze medals in the 5000 m and 10,000 m, becoming the first American to medal in both events at an Olympic Games.
Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa is an Ethiopian distance runner. He holds the current world record in the short track mile, and the half marathon.
The 5000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by men since the inaugural edition in 1983 and by women since 1995. Women competed over 3000 metres from 1980 to 1993, in line with championship standards of the time. It is the shortest long-distance running event at the competition, the 10,000 metres and marathon being the other two such events on the programme. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 5000 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has a two-race heats stage that leads directly to a final between fifteen athletes.
Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo is a Kenyan born American track and field athlete. He is the 2016 Olympic silver medalist and the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist in the 5000 meters and is known for his success at the highest level of athletics and controversial racing tactics.
Birhanu Balew is an Ethiopian-born long-distance runner representing Bahrain. He reached the final of the 5000 m event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is a Norwegian middle- and long-distance runner who is the current world record holder in the short track 1500 metres, the 2000 metres and the 3000 metres, and holds the world best time over the two mile distance. Ingebrigtsen is a two-time Olympic champion, winning gold medals in the 1500 m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, setting a then Olympic and European record, and in the 5000 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is also a two-time World champion, winning gold medals in the 5000 m in 2022 and 2023 and a six-time European champion, winning gold medals in the 1500 m and 5000 m in 2018, 2022, and 2024. In addition to the 1500 m, Ingebrigtsen holds European records in the mile and 5000 m. Ingebrigtsen is one of three men to run a sub-3:30 1500 m, sub-7:30 3000 m and a sub-12:50 5000 m.
The men's 5000 metres event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 3 and 6 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. Approximately 45 athletes competed; the exact number was dependent on how many nations use universality places to enter athletes in addition to the 42 qualifying through time or ranking. The winning margin was 0.46 seconds.
The men's 5000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha from 27 to 30 September 2019.
The men's 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on 6 October 2019.
Mauritania competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo which were held from 23 July to 8 August 2021. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1984. The delegation consisted of two athletes, one man and one woman, competing in two athletic events. Sprinters Abidine Abidine and Houlèye Ba represented Mauritania in the men's 5000 metres and women's 800 metres event, respectively. For the first time, in an effort to promote gender equality, two flagbearers, one male and one female were allowed at the Olympics. Abidine and Houlèye lead the Mauritanian squad as the flagbearers in the opening ceremony. As of 2023, Mauritania, however, has yet to win its first ever Olympic medal.
The following table is an overview of national records in the 5000 metres.
The men's 5000 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships was held at the Hayward Field in Eugene from 21 to 24 July 2022.
Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu is a South Sudanese born middle and long-distance runner who represents Switzerland in international championships. He currently lives and trains in Switzerland and competes for On Running.
The men's 5000 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on 24 and 27 August 2023. Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the gold medal, followed by Mohamed Katir and Jacob Krop.
The men's 1500 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in four rounds at the Stade de France in Paris, France, between 2 and 6 August 2024. This was the 30th time that the men's 1500 metres was contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 45 athletes were able to qualify for the event by entry standard or ranking.
The women's 5000 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in two rounds at the Stade de France in Paris, France, on 2 and 5 August 2024. This was the eighth time that the women's 5000 metres is contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 43 athletes were to qualify for the event by entry standard or ranking.
The men's 10,000 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics was held at the Stade de France in Paris, France, on 2 August 2024. This was the 26th time in which the men's 10,000 metres has been contested at the Summer Olympics. A total of 27 athletes were able to qualify for the event by entry standard or ranking. Unlike other Olympic events, this event did not have heats or semifinals, with all qualified athletes instead competing in a single final.
