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1997 World Championships in Athletics Athens, Greece

1997 6th IAAF World Championships - Athens - Men's 5000m

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Details: Parent Category: World Championships in Athletics; Category: 1997 World Championships in Athletics Athens, Greece; Last Updated: 21 July 2020; Hits: 32

Host City: Athens, Greece

Format: First round (First 5 & 5 fastest to final) (Aug 8)

Dates: August 1–10, 1997

Nations participating: 198

Athletes participating: 1882

Main venue: Olympic Stadium

Overview by IAAF

The title remained in Kenyan hands even though Kirui, seeking a hattrick of victories, failed to survive his heat. With Gebrselassie opting only for the 10,000m, the overwhelming favourite was Komen whose exploits during 1997 included a Commonwealth 1500 record of 3:29.46, a Kenyan mile record of 3:46.38, a barrier-breaking world 2 miles best of 7:58.61 and a world 5000 record of 12:39.74. In Athens the early pace was very slow before first Baumann and then Nyariki pepped it up with a third kilometre covered in 2:32.12. Shortly afterwards Komen bolted ahead, running a sub-58 eighth lap and building up a big lead. He was 40m up at the bell and although the gap was narrowed considerably on the last lap by Boulami, who outkicked Nyariki for silver, Komen completed his final 3000m in 7:33.9!

These are the official results of the Men's 5.000 metres event at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece. There were a total of 38 participating athletes, with two qualifying heats and the final held on Saturday August 9, 1997.

	5000m			*10 August*
Event report Men 5000 metres Daniel Komen of Kenya, the only man in history to have run two sub-4 minute miles in the same race won the World Championships gold medal at 5000m, the distance at which he briefly held the world record in 1995. Komen crossed the line in 13:07.38, comfortably ahead of Morocco’s Khalid Boulami, who was second in 13:09.34, and Kenya’s Tom Nyariki, who took the bronze in 13:11.09. Komen’s victory gives Kenya its fourth world 5000m title in a row. The race started slowly, Germany’s Dieter Baumann taking the field through 1000m in 2:43.86. With eight and a half laps to go Portugal’s Dionisio Castro spurted to the front and rapidly increased the pace, covered by Bob Kennedy of the USA, Baumann and Komen, but he did not break the field. At 2000m (5:33.03) Baumann made a move, putting in a 60.1 second lap and gaining a 5 metre gap on Nyariki. The Kenyan closed it down and then stretched the field himself, followed by Komen and Boulami. At 3000m (8:05.15) Komen took off, rapidly opening a 10 metre lead. Within 300m there was a 30 metre gap to Nyariki and Boulami, which Komen extended with 59.3 and 58.3 laps. He passed 4000m in 10:33.49 with a 40 metre lead (after a 2:28 fourth kilometre) and strode home unchallenged for the last two and a half laps. Boulami outkicked Nyariki in the home straight for the silver medal.
	Final
1	Daniel Komen	KEN	17 May 76	13.07.38
2	Khalid Boulami	MAR	7 Aug 69	13.09.34
3	Thomas Nyariki	KEN	27 Sep 71	13.11.09
4	Ismaïl Sghyr	MAR	16 Mar 72	13.17.45
5	Dieter Baumann	GER	9 Feb 65	13.17.64
6	Bob Kennedy	USA	18 Aug 70	13.19.45
7	El Hassan Lahssini	MAR	1 Jan 75	13.20.52
8	Enrique Molina	ESP	25 Feb 68	13.24.54
9	Manuel Pancorbo	ESP	7 Jul 66	13.25.78
10	Fita Bayissa	ETH	15 Dec 72	13.25.98
11	Abdellah Béhar	FRA	5 Jul 63	13.29.10
12	Worku Bikila	ETH	6 May 68	13.30.02
13	Paul Bitok	KEN	26 Jun 70	13.30.25
14	Dionísio Castro	POR	22 Nov 63	13.31.74
15	Pablo Olmedo	MEX	8 May 75	14.05.59
Event Report Men 5000m Heats Morocco’s Ismail Sghyr was the fastest qualifier for the men’s 5000m final on Sunday, winning the first heat in 13:19.70, just ahead of the fastest 5000m runner in the world this year, and former world record holder, Daniel Komen of Kenya. One notable name who will not be on the starting line on Sunday is Komen’s teammate, the 1993 and 1995 world 5000m champion, Ismael Kirui, who finished 9th in heat two in 13:34.52. Heat 1: New Zealand’s Jonathan Wyatt took the field through the first kilometre in 2:42.63, followed by the 1992 Olympic champion, Dieter Baumann of Germany, Paul Bitok of Kenya, Sghyr and Komen. At 2000m (5:28.40) Ethiopia’s Worku Bikila strode to the lead and picked up the pace. Sghyr took over at 3000m (8:08.65) and gradually accelerated - taking Baumann, Komen, Bitok, Spain’s Enrique Molina, Bikila and Abdellah Behar of France, 10 metres clear of the rest. At 4000m (10:47.82) Komen took the lead and a group of five broke clear before the bell and came home to take the automatic qualifying spots. Bikila and Behar qualified on time. Heat 2: Bob Kennedy of the USA led the field through 1000m in 2:46.25, some four seconds slower than the first heat. At 2000m (5:30.14) Kirui increased the pace, followed by a large group, before Morocco’s El Hassan Lahssini took over and stretched them out. At 3000m (8:07.26) there were still 10 men in contention, with Kenya’s Tom Nyariki, Kennedy and Ethiopia’s Fita Bayissa Lahssini’s closest challengers. Kirui was dropped from a leading group of eight at 4000m (10:47.22) and at the bell a group of five, including Kennedy, Nyariki, Dionisio Castro of Portugal, Lahssini and Khalid Boulami, broke clear to finish in the automatic qualifying positions.
	Heats			*8 August*
	Heat 1
1	Ismaïl Sghyr	MAR	16 Mar 72	13.19.69
2	Dieter Baumann	GER	9 Feb 65	13.19.81
3	Daniel Komen	KEN	17 May 76	13.19.87
4	Enrique Molina	ESP	25 Feb 68	13.22.74
5	Paul Bitok	KEN		13.24.85
6	Abdellah Behar	FRA		13.26.50
7	Worku Bikila	ETH		13.31.18
8	Alan Culpepper	USA		13.34.74
9	Anacleto Jimenez	ESP		13.36.55
10	Keith Cullen	GBR		13.42.40
11	Warsama Ahmed Ibrahim	QAT		13.49.55
12	Sergey Drygin	RUS		13.55.56
13	Jeff Schiebler	CAN		13.57.31
14	Mark Carroll	IRL		13.57.88
15	Robert Denmark	GBR		13.58.08
16	Ali Zaied	LBA	13 Jan 74	13.58.26
17	Nestor Garcia	URU		14.12.15
18	Francis Munthali	MAW		14.14.80
-	Jonathan Wyatt	NZL		DNF
-	Marco Condori	BOL		DNS
	Heat 2
1	Bob Kennedy	USA	18 Aug 70	13.23.07
2	Khalid Boulami	MAR	7 Aug 69	13.23.46
3	Thomas Nyariki	KEN	27 Sep 71	13.23.55
4	El Hassan Lahssini	MAR	1 Jan 75	13.23.75
5	Dionísio Castro	POR	22 Nov 63	13.24.51
6	Manuel Pancorbo	ESP		13.25.71
7	Pablo Olmedo	MEX	8 May 75	13.27.65
8	Fita Bayissa	ETH		13.28.54
9	Ismael Kirui	KEN		13.34.52
10	Ayele Mezgebu	ETH		13.38.96
11	Mustapha Essaid	FRA		13.39.11
12	Panagiotis Papoulias	GRE		13.58.27
13	Brian Baker	USA		14.03.95
14	Adrian Passey	GBR		14.07.49
15	Samuli Vasala	FIN		14.10.92
16	Yohannes Ghirmai	ERI		14.59.47
17	Anatola Lekade	TOG		15.00.21
18	Yeli Moussa	NIG		15.00.61