Tsegay wins women’s 5000m world title after dramatic last lap

One year after claiming Olympic bronze, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay powered through a chaotic final lap to win the women’s 5000m world title on Saturday night.

With flying elbows in the backstretch, Tsegay separated herself from the field to cross the line in 14:46.29. It is the 25-year-old’s second medal of these 2022 World Track and Field Championships after she claimed 1500m silver last Monday.

Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet nabbed the silver, while Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum picked up bronze.

World-record holder Letesenbet Gidey, who won the 10,000m earlier at 2022 Worlds, led for nearly the entire race but couldn’t hang on at the end, finishing fifth.

Defending world champ and reigning Olympic gold medalist Sifan Hassan also fell just short, placing sixth. Hassan, as is her signature style, stuck to the back of the pack for the early laps. She made a move at the bell, but faded in the final meters.

Elise Cranny, the top American finisher in ninth, described the race pace as “very fartlek-y.” As for her own performance, “it’s a bit of a mixed bag,” she said. “It’s trying to be happy with taking steps forward. You gotta crack into the top ten first and take those steps… but you also want to get in that top six, top five, eventually top three. So it’s bittersweet.”

Karissa Schweizer recorded a DNF and appeared to be dealing with an injury as she left the track, but her status wasn’t immediately clear. The third American in the final, Emily Infeld, finished 14th.

posted Saturday July 23rd
by Alex Azzi