Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay wins tactical women’s 5000m – World Championships 2022

EUGENE, Oregon (July 23) — In a tactical women’s 5000m final, teamwork helped deliver the gold medal to Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the silver medalist in the 1500m five days ago. Tsegay, 25, worked with teammates Letesenbet Gidey, the 10,000m gold medalist here, and Dawit Seyaum to control the pace right from the gun.

The trio, taking turns at the front, kept it slow through 3000 meters (9:02.8) while their three Kenyan rivals —Beatrice Chebet, Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi and Gloria Kite— kept guessing as to when the race might speed up.  The three Ethiopians could be seen conversing in the early laps. Read more: Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Korir returns to win World Championships title – World Athletics Championships 2022

Watch women’s 5000m final highlights at World Athletics Championships 2022

“We discussed about the teamwork when we came to the competition,” Tsegay said through a translator provided by the Ethiopian federation. “So, we tried to do the teamwork during the competition.

“One of our teammates, Dawit (Seyaum) cannot make the lap, but both Gudaf and Letesenbet had a medal so we wanted the gold and the bronze because of this.” – Read Also: Letesenbet Gidey wins 10,000m, Sifan Hassan 4th; Jeruto impressed in steeplechase – World Championships 2022

Lap after lap, Gidey, Tsegay and Seyaum traded the lead while the rest of the field simply followed.  The trio averaged 72 seconds a lap through 4600 meters, and it wasn’t until the final lap that things really got moving.

Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan drove to the lead with just 200 meters to go to try to upset the Ethiopians’ carefully laid plans, but she couldn’t match the 59.95-second final lap put in by Tsegay which delivered her victory in 14:46.29.

“I’m very much happy because I couldn’t make the gold at the 1500, but now I have the gold so I am very much happy,” said Tsegay who could not stop smiling.

Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet, who was fourth at the bell, also managed a sub-60 final circuit and won the silver medal in 14:46.75. Surprisingly, Seyaum was able to beat the more accomplished Gidey and take bronze in 14:47.36. 

Kenya’s Kipkemboi was fourth (14:47.71), Gidey was fifth (14:47.98) and Hassan sixth (14:48.12).  Hassan was the 2021 Olympic 5000m champion.

“The last lap I gave everything,” said Hassan, who admitted that she was short on training coming into these championships. “But they were just better than me.”

What happened to Karissa Schweizer in the 5000m final at the World Championships?

It was not a great race for the USA team of Karissa Schweizer, Elise Cranny and Emily Infeld. Infeld was unable to hold the pace and finished last in 15:29.03. Both Schweizer and Cranny ran in the lead group for most of the race, but with about two laps to go Schweizer pulled up and had to stop.

It was later revealed by USA Track and Field that she suffered a strain to her left calf.  Cranny ended up ninth in 14:59.99, not as good a finish as she wanted but an improvement on her 13th place performance in the Tokyo Olympics last summer.

“It went pretty much like expected,” Cranny told reporters.  “You never quite get into a rhythm. Once we got going it’s like, herky-jerky all over the place.”  She continued: “Going into the race, like be ready for a big last 1-K; that’s usually where things happen.  I’m a bit bummed.  I feel like with 600 to go I just had nothing left.”

The World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022 will conclude at Hayward Field here in Eugene, on Sunday, 24 July. There are two distance finals: the 5000m for men and the 800 meters for women.

5000 METRES WOMEN RESULT – WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS OREGON 2022

PHOTO: Gudaf Tsegay wins the 5000m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., on July 23 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)