Mustafa Hassan Mohamed is a Swedish long-distance runner who mainly competes in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah is a Somali-British former long-distance runner. Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals make him the most successful male track distance runner in the history of the sport, and he is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history.
Mohamed Issangar is a retired Moroccan long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 metres.
Hellen Onsando Obiri is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. She is the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. Obiri is a two-time Olympic 5,000 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 5,000 m in 2017 and again in 2019, when she set a new championship record. Obiri also took world bronze for the 1,500 metres in 2013 and silver in the 10,000 m in 2022. She won the 3,000 metres race at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, claimed silver in 2014, and placed fourth in 2018. She is the 2019 World Cross Country champion. Obiri triumphed in the 2023 Boston Marathon, her second marathon race. She places fifth in the half marathon on the world all-time list.
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.
Adel Mechaal Mechaal is a middle- and long-distance runner. Born in Morocco, he represents Spain internationally. In the 1500 metres, he placed fourth at the 2017 World Championships, and fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Over the 5000 metres, Mechaal won the silver medal at the 2016 European Championships. He is a three-time European Indoor Championships 3000 metres medallist. He also won two medals for the men's senior races at the European Cross Country Championships.
Claudia Margareta Lokar, née Borgschulze is a retired (West) German long-distance runner.
Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa is an Ethiopian distance runner. He holds the current world record in the short track mile, and the half marathon.
Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei is a Ugandan long-distance runner. He is the current world record holder for the 5000 metres and the 10,000 metres, and holds the world best time over the 15 kilometres distance.
Somalia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation at Rio de Janeiro marked its ninth in the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1972. The delegation included two track and field athletes: sprinter Maryan Nuh Muse and long-distance runner Mohamed Daud Mohamed, who was the nation's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations. Neither athlete progressed past the first round of their respective competitions.
Yemaneberhan "Yeman" Crippa is an Ethiopian-born Italian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze for the 5000 metres at the European Athletics Championships in 2022, and bronze in the 10,000 m in 2018. Crippa claimed four medals in the age-group races at the European Cross Country Championships and a bronze in the senior race in 2019.
Alina Reh is a German middle- and long-distance runner. She won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2018 European Athletics Championships. At the European U23 Championships, Reh earned silver for the 5000 metres in 2017 and silver in the event and gold for the 10,000 m in 2019. She took four individual medals at the European Cross Country Championships, including bronze in the senior race in 2021 and 2022.
Hanna Klein is a German middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 3000 metres at the 2023 European Indoor Championships and bronze for the 1500 metres at the 2021 European Indoor Championships. Klein finished fifth in the 1500 m at the 2022 European Championships. She took gold for the 5000 metres at the 2017 Universiade.
Selemon Barega Shirtaga is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, silver for the 5,000 metres at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Selemon is a two-time 3,000 metres World Indoor Championship medallist, taking silver in 2018, and a gold in 2022.
Mohamed Reda El Aaraby is a Moroccan long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. In 2019, he competed in the men's marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. He did not finish his race.
Nadia Battocletti is an Italian female middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 5000 m and 10000 m races at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Battocletti won a silver medal in the 10,000 m and placed fourth in the 5000 m race.
Mohamed "Mo" Katir El Haouzi is a middle- and long-distance runner. Born in Morocco, he represents Spain. He won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and the silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Katir took silver in the 5000 metres at the 2022 European Championships. He holds three Spanish records, is a two-time national champion, and is the European indoor record holder for the 3000 metres.
Diane van Es is a Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2024 European Championships and the bronze medal in the 5000 metres at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships.
Alica Megan Schmidt is a German runner. She was part of the national team that came second in the 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2017 European Athletics U20 Championships, and third in the same discipline at the 2019 European Athletics U23 Championships. She was previously a fitness coach of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. Schmidt was part of the German relay squad at the 2020 Summer Olympics, though she did not compete.
The following table is an overview of national records in the 5000 metres.
