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

Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia won the women’s 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22 in Eugene, on Saturday (23) with 14:46.29.

Gudaf Tsegay wins the 5000m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships
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)

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.

Gudaf Tsegay of Team Ethiopia competes in the Women's 5000m Final at the World Athletics Championships 2022
Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia competes in the Women’s 5000m Final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images for World Athletics)

“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.

Karissa Schweizer of Team United States competes in the Women's 5000m
Karissa Schweizer of USA in the Women’s 5000m heats. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images for World Athletics)

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

RESULT
POSCOUNTRYATHLETEMARK
1ETHGudaf TSEGAY14:46.29
2KENBeatrice CHEBET14:46.75 SB
3ETHDawit SEYAUM14:47.36
4KENMargaret Chelimo KIPKEMBOI14:47.71 SB
5ETHLetesenbet GIDEY14:47.98
6NEDSifan HASSAN14:48.12 SB
7KAZCaroline Chepkoech KIPKIRUI14:54.80
8NORKaroline Bjerkeli GRØVDAL14:57.62
9USAElise CRANNY14:59.99
10KENGloria KITE15:01.22
11GBREilish MCCOLGAN15:03.03
12JPNNozomi TANAKA15:19.35
13GBRJessica JUDD15:19.88
14USAEmily INFELD15:29.03
USAKarissa SCHWEIZERDNF

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)

Written By

David Monti is the Editor, Publisher, and Founder, of Race Results Weekly, a professional distance running data and news service providing results from over 3000 events annually, and worldwide. He is based in New York City. David Monti, @d9monti - (c) 2023 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

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