Summary
Field overview
Defending champion and world record holder Joshua Cheptegei did not participate in the heats. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the reigning world champion, competed after narrowly missing a medal in the 1500 meters. Ingebrigtsen, known for attempting doubles at major championships, prioritized the 1500 metres but remained a strong contender in the 5000 metres.
From the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, silver medalist Mohammed Ahmed returned, while bronze medalist Paul Chelimo failed to qualify at the U.S. Trials. Other key contenders included Jacob Krop, a 2022 and 2023 World Championship medalist, and world leader Hagos Gebrhiwet, who entered the event in strong form alongside compatriot Yomif Kejelcha. [2] Notably absent was Mohamed Katir, the 2023 World silver medalist, due to a doping-related suspension.
Heats
The heats aimed to reduce the field to 16 finalists, with the top eight athletes from each of the two semi-finals advancing. Both heats were marred by incidents involving tightly packed runners.
In the first heat, Mohammed Ahmed fell after contact with another athlete and was unable to recover. A chaotic sprint finish led to multiple falls, including Dominic Lobalu, George Mills, Thierry Ndikumwenayo, and Mike Foppen, with some runners narrowly avoiding the pileup. Despite the disruption, Thomas Fafard hurdled fallen athletes to secure a qualifying spot. [3]
The second heat experienced similar issues during the final sprint. Abdi Nur tripped, causing a domino effect that affected other athletes, including Yann Schrub and Birhanu Balew, though Balew managed to finish the race. [4]
The final
Following protests, the referee and Jury of Appeals advanced several affected athletes, resulting in an expanded final field of 22 competitors. However, Abdi Nur and Mohammed Ahmed did not advance. [5]
The final began with Dominic Lobalu setting the early pace, followed by Thierry Ndikumwenayo. The Ethiopian and Kenyan teams adopted uncharacteristically conservative tactics, with key athletes such as Gebrhiwet and Ronald Kwemoi staying at the back early on. As the pace quickened, Addisu Yihune and Biniam Mehary alternated in leading.
With 600 metres remaining, Gebrhiwet surged to the front, opening a significant gap. Jakob Ingebrigtsen responded, moving past his competitors to take the lead with 200 metres to go. From there, Ingebrigtsen extended his lead and claimed the gold medal by a comfortable margin.
Behind him, Kwemoi secured silver after passing Mehary and Gebrhiwet. In a close sprint for the bronze, Grant Fisher surged late to edge out Lobalu and Gebrhiwet at the finish line. [6]
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