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3. Olympic Games (Athletics) - Events

Olympic Events in Athletics - 5000 metres

5000 metres

 

The 5000 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the fifth edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 5000 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1912. The 3000 metres was the first women's Olympic long-distance track event, making its initial appearance at the 1984 Olympics, and this distance was extended to match the men's event from 1996 onwards. It is the most prestigious 5000 m race at elite level. The competition format typically has two qualifying heats leading to a final between fifteen athletes.

The Olympic records for the event are 12:57.82 minutes for men, set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2008, and 14:40.79 minutes for women, set by Gabriela Szabo in 2000. At the inaugural 1912 Olympic 5000 metres, Hannes Kolehmainen set the first official IAAF world record for the event. However, this remains the only time that the 5000 metres world record has been broken in Olympic competition. The best time recorded for the women's Olympic 3000 m was 8:26.53 minutes by Tetyana Dorovskikh (then Samolenko) at the 1988 Seoul Olympics; the world record for that event was not improved during an Olympic race.

Only two athletes have won multiple titles in the event: Lasse Virén became the first with his back-to-back wins in 1972 and 1976, while Meseret Defar became the first woman to win two titles in 2012, having previously won in 2004. Three athletes have reached the podium on three occasions: Defar was also the 2008 bronze medallist, Tirunesh Dibaba won medals from 2004–2012, and Paavo Nurmi won medals in the period from 1920–1928. Historically, athletes in this event have also had success in the 10,000 metres at the Olympics. The winner of the men's Olympic 5000 m has completed a long-distance track double on eight occasions, the most recent being Mo Farah at the 2012 London Olympics. Tirunesh Dibaba is the only woman to complete this double, having done so at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Mo Farah (5000m Olympic Final).jpg
The 2012 Olympic men's 5000 m final
Overview
Sport Athletics
Gender Men and women
Years held Men: 1912 – 2016
Women: 1984 – 2016
Olympic record
Men 12:57.82 Kenenisa Bekele (2008)
Women 4:26.17 Vivian Cheruiyot (2016)
Reigning champion
Men  Mo Farah (GBR)
Women  Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN)
 Ethiopia is the most successful nation in the event, having taken six gold medals and thirteen medals in total. Finland is the next most successful, also with six gold medals, but with a total of twelve overall. Finland's period of great success in the 1920s and 1930s led to the wide usage of the nickname the Flying Finns; Kaarlo Maaninka was the last Finnish athlete to medal over 5000 m, in 1980. Kenya have also won twelve medals in the 5000 m, although John Ngugi is the only Kenyan to have won Olympic gold.

History, Records and Statistics of Men's 5000 metres

History, Records and Statistics of Women's 5000 metres

Medal summary

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1912 Stockholm Hannes Kolehmainen
 Finland
Jean Bouin
 France
George Hutson
 Great Britain
1920 Antwerp Joseph Guillemot
 France
Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Eric Backman
 Sweden
1924 Paris Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Ville Ritola
 Finland
Edvin Wide
 Sweden
1928 Amsterdam Ville Ritola
 Finland
Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Edvin Wide
 Sweden
1932 Los Angeles Lauri Lehtinen
 Finland
Ralph Hill
 United States
Lauri Virtanen
 Finland
1936 Berlin Gunnar Höckert
 Finland
Lauri Lehtinen
 Finland
Henry Jonsson
 Sweden
1948 London Gaston Reiff
 Belgium
Emil Zátopek
 Czechoslovakia
Wim Slijkhuis
 Netherlands
1952 Helsinki Emil Zátopek
 Czechoslovakia
Alain Mimoun
 France
Herbert Schade
 Germany
1956 Melbourne Vladimir Kuts
 Soviet Union
Gordon Pirie
 Great Britain
Derek Ibbotson
 Great Britain
1960 Rome Murray Halberg
 New Zealand
Hans Grodotzki
 United Team of Germany
Kazimierz Zimny
 Poland
1964 Tokyo Bob Schul
 United States
Harald Norpoth
 United Team of Germany
Bill Dellinger
 United States
1968 Mexico City Mohammed Gammoudi
 Tunisia
Kipchoge Keino
 Kenya
Naftali Temu
 Kenya
1972 Munich Lasse Virén
 Finland
Mohammed Gammoudi
 Tunisia
Ian Stewart
 Great Britain
1976 Montreal Lasse Virén
 Finland
Dick Quax
 New Zealand
Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand
 West Germany
1980 Moscow Miruts Yifter
 Ethiopia
Suleiman Nyambui
 Tanzania
Kaarlo Maaninka
 Finland
1984 Los Angeles Saïd Aouita
 Morocco
Markus Ryffel
 Switzerland
António Leitão
 Portugal
1988 Seoul John Ngugi
 Kenya
Dieter Baumann
 West Germany
Hansjörg Kunze
 East Germany
1992 Barcelona Dieter Baumann
 Germany
Paul Bitok
 Kenya
Fita Bayisa
 Ethiopia
1996 Atlanta Vénuste Niyongabo
 Burundi
Paul Bitok
 Kenya
Khalid Boulami
 Morocco
2000 Sydney Million Wolde
 Ethiopia
Ali Saïdi-Sief
 Algeria
Brahim Lahlafi
 Morocco
2004 Athens Hicham El Guerrouj
 Morocco
Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
Eliud Kipchoge
 Kenya
2008 Beijing Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
Eliud Kipchoge
 Kenya
Edwin Soi
 Kenya
2012 London Mo Farah
 Great Britain
Dejen Gebremeskel
 Ethiopia
Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa
 Kenya
2016 Rio de Janeiro Mo Farah
 Great Britain
Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo
 United States
Hagos Gebrhiwet
 Ethiopia

Multiple medalists

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Mohamed Farah  Great Britain (GBR) 2012–2016 2 0 0 2
2 Lasse Viren  Finland (FIN) 1972–1976 2 0 0 2
3 Paavo Nurmi  Finland (FIN) 1920–1928 1 2 0 3
4 Ville Ritola  Finland (FIN) 1924–1928 1 1 0 2
5 Lauri Lehtinen  Finland (FIN) 1932–1936 1 1 0 2
6 Emil Zátopek  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1948–1952 1 1 0 2
7 Mohammed Gammoudi  Tunisia (TUN) 1968–1972 1 1 0 2
8 Dieter Baumann  Germany (GER) 1988–1992 1 1 0 2
9 Kenenisa Bekele  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2008 1 1 0 2
10 Paul Bitok  Kenya (KEN) 1992–1996 0 2 0 2
11 Eliud Kipchoge  Kenya (KEN) 2004–2008 0 1 1 2
12 Edvin Wide  Sweden (SWE) 1924–1928 0 0 2 2

Medals by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Finland (FIN) 6 4 2 12
2  Ethiopia (ETH) 3 2 2 7
3  Great Britain (GBR) 2 1 3 6
4  Morocco (MAR) 2 0 2 4
5  Kenya (KEN) 1 4 4 9
6=  Germany (GER)[nb] 1 2 1 4
6=  United States (USA) 1 2 1 4
8  France (FRA) 1 2 0 3
9=  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1 1 0 2
9=  New Zealand (NZL) 1 1 0 2
9=  Tunisia (TUN) 1 1 0 2
12=  Belgium (BEL) 1 0 0 1
12=  Burundi (BDI) 1 0 0 1
12=  Soviet Union (URS) 1 0 0 1
15  West Germany (FRG) 0 1 1 2
16=  Algeria (ALG) 0 1 0 1
16=  Switzerland (SUI) 0 1 0 1
16=  Tanzania (TAN) 0 1 0 1
19  Sweden (SWE) 0 0 4 4
20=  East Germany (GDR) 0 0 1 1
20=  Netherlands (NED) 0 0 1 1
20=  Poland (POL) 0 0 1 1
20=  Portugal (POR) 0 0 1 1
  • nb The German total includes teams both competing as Germany and the United Team of Germany, but not East or West Germany.

Women's 5000 metres

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1996 Atlanta Wang Junxia
 China
Pauline Konga
 Kenya
Roberta Brunet
 Italy
2000 Sydney Gabriela Szabo
 Romania
Sonia O'Sullivan
 Ireland
Gete Wami
 Ethiopia
2004 Athens Meseret Defar
 Ethiopia
Isabella Ochichi
 Kenya
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
2008 Beijing Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
Elvan Abeylegesse
 Turkey
Meseret Defar
 Ethiopia
2012 London Meseret Defar
 Ethiopia
Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
2016 Rio de Janeiro Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
Hellen Obiri
 Kenya
Almaz Ayana
 Ethiopia

Multiple medalists

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Meseret Defar  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2012 2 0 1 3
2 Tirunesh Dibaba  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2012 1 0 2 3
3 Vivian Cheruiyot  Kenya (KEN) 2012–2016 1 1 0 2

Medalists by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Ethiopia (ETH) 3 0 5 8
2  Kenya (KEN) 1 4 0 5
3=  China (CHN) 1 0 0 1
3=  Romania (ROU) 1 0 0 1
5=  Ireland (IRL) 0 1 0 1
5=  Turkey (TUR) 0 1 0 1
7  Italy (ITA) 0 0 1 1

 

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