Preview – World Athletics U20 Championships women’s 3000m and men’s 5000m finals

(August 1) —— The women’s 3000 meters and men’s 5000 meters are the two finals on Day One – order of events schedule – at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium here in Cali, Colombia, on Monday, 1 August. Please read also: Day 1 – World Athletics U20 Championships 2022 order of events, start lists, live results, how to watch

Both races will be live streamed on the World Athletics YouTube and Facebook channels for worldwide viewers, while fans in the United States can follow all the action on Peacock TV. The women’s U20 3000m race will go off at 5:00 pm local time or 6:00 pm ET, while the men’s U20 5000m will get going at 5:25 pm local time (6:25 pm ET). Click here to watch live.

Who is the favorite to win the U20 women’s 3000m at Cali 22?

On the women’s side, Ethiopia enters the top two fastest U20 runners in the world this year. Medina Eisa, 17, is the leading entrant after she ran 8:41.42 to finish third in her debut in the event at the 2022 Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat on 5 June.

Her compatriot Tsiyon Abebe, who finished sixth in Rabat, heads into the race in Cali with a personal best of 8:44.82 and the 17-year-old will be aiming to go even faster as she looks to pair up with Eisa on the podium.

Kenya also has podium spot aspirations and is also determined to return the title from last year back home. Betty Chelangat and Nancy Cherop, who are the third and fourth fastest runners on the start list with respective times of 8:51.33 and 8:52.86 this year, are said to be in high spirit and are looking forward to retaining the title won by Teresia Muthoni Gateri last year in Nairobi.

Other notable starters in the women’s U20 3000m final at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships are Ilona Mononen of Finland, who is the fastest European with 9:02.00, while Siona Chisholm of Canada and USA’s Kate Peters and Heidi Nielson are also in the start list.

Addisu Yihune is the Men’s U20 5000m gold medal favorite?

Meanwhile, the men’s U20 5000m race will see Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune, who just missed the podium at last year’s championships in Nairobi, returning to take a stab at winning the gold medal this year.

Yihune owns a personal best of 12:58.99, the fastest among all the athletes in the field in Cali, while the 19-year-old is the fastest among starters in the world in 2022 with a season-best of 13:02.10, a time that is much faster than the winning time of 13:20.37 in Kenya, last year.

Teammate Gebeyehu Belay comes in with a season and personal best time of 13:25.14 and he will be hoping to run another PB in his push for a podium place.

Eritrea’s Merhawi Mebrahtu who was fifth last year is the second quickest among the starters this year with 13:04.49, while his countryman Samuel Habtom, the sixth place finisher in Nairobi last summer, enters with a time of 13:13.74.

We should also pay close attention to Peter Maru of Uganda who was 5th in the 1500m at the last championships. The 19-year-old is the fourth-fastest U20 men 5000m runner in the world in 2022 at 13:07.42. 

3000 METERS WOMEN FINAL START LIST

START LIST 3000m Final
ORDER	COUNTRY	ATHLETE	PB	SB
1	ETH	Tsiyon ABEBE	8:44.82	8:44.82
2	CAN	Siona CHISHOLM	9:17.77	9:17.77
3	USA	Heidi NIELSON	9:21.30	9:21.30
4	UGA	Scarlet CHEBET	9:30.92	9:31.98
5	GRE	Maria KASSOU	9:26.16	9:26.16
6	NOR	Anna Marie Nordengen SIREVÅG	9:30.00	9:30.00
7	CAN	Chloe THOMAS	9:26.50	9:26.50
8	GER	Sofia BENFARES	9:18.01	9:18.01
9	ETH	Bertukan WELDE	8:59.10	8:59.10
10	FIN	Ilona MONONEN	9:02.00	9:02.00
11	KEN	Betty CHELANGAT	8:51.33	8:51.33
12	LAT	Agate CAUNE	9:12.67	9:12.67
13	USA	Kate PETERS	9:17.97	9:17.97
14	KEN	Nancy CHEROP	8:52.86	8:52.86
15	NOR	Ina Halle HAUGEN	9:11.81	9:14.51

5000 METERS MEN FINAL START LIST

START LIST 5000m Final
ORDER	COUNTRY	ATHLETE	PB	SB
1	AUS	Archie NOAKES	14:05.91	14:05.91
2	ERI	Merhawi MEBRAHTU	13:04.49	13:04.49
3	KEN	Samuel KIBATHI	13:35.60	13:47.86
4	BOL	David NINAVIA MAMANI	14:13.02	14:13.02
5	KEN	Nelson MANDELA	13:55.50	13:55.50
6	POL	Konrad POGORZELSKI	14:09.29	14:09.29
7	ETH	Addisu YIHUNE	12:58.99	13:02.10
8	FRA	Joad MARTINHO	14:06.02	14:06.02
9	USA	Tyrone GORZE	14:00.34	14:00.34
10	RSA	Niel VAN DER MERWE	14:09.11	14:09.11
11	JPN	Keita SATO	13:22.91	13:22.91
12	UGA	Rogers KIBET	13:14.68	13:14.68
13	JPN	Hiroto YOSHIOKA	13:38.96	13:54.98
14	ERI	Habtom SAMUEL	13:13.74	13:13.74
15	BRN	Abdikani Mohamed HAMID	14:11.23	14:11.23
16	ISR	Ateka DEMISIE	14:08.76	14:08.76
17	ETH	Gebeyehu BELAY	13:25.14	13:25.14
18	GBR	Johnny LIVINGSTONE	13:51.03	13:51.03
19	USA	Dylan THROOP	14:06.40	14:06.40
20	ESP	Jaime MIGALLON	13:58.78	13:58.78
21	UGA	Peter MARU	13:07.42	13:07.42
22	IRL	Dean CASEY	13:58.70	14:02.28