WCH Tokyo 25 brushstroke (© World Athletics)
Last three sets of World Athletics Championships medallists
2023: 1 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) – 14:53.88, 2 Sifan Hassan (NED) – 14:54.11, 3 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) – 14:54.33
2022: 1 Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) – 14:46.29, 2 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) – 14:46.75, 3 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) – 14:47.36
2019: 1 Hellen Obiri (KEN) – 14:26.72, 2 Margaret Kipkemboi (KEN) – 14:27.49, 3 Konstanze Klosterhalfen (GER) – 14:28.43
Last two sets of Olympic medallists
2024: 1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) – 14:28.56, 2 Faith Kipyegon (KEN) – 14:29.60, 3 Sifan Hassan (NED) – 14:30.61
2020: 1 Sifan Hassan (NED) 14:36.79 – 2 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 14:38.36 – 3 Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) 14:38.87
Fastest winning times in World Athletics Championships history:
14:26.72 – Hellen Obiri (KEN), 2019
14:26.83 – Almaz Ayana (ETH), 2015
14:34.86 – Hellen Obiri (KEN), 2017
Slowest winning time in World Athletics Championships history
15:03.39 – Olga Yegorova (RUS), 2001
Best marks on Japanese soil:
14:36.79 – 1 Sifan Hassan (NED) – Tokyo (Olympics) 02.08.2021
14:38.36 – 2 Hellen Obiri (KEN) – Tokyo (Olympics) 02.08.2021
14:38.87 – 3 Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) – Tokyo (Olympics) 02.08.2021
Best marks on Asian soil
14:14.32 – 1 Almaz Ayana (ETH) – Shanghai 17.05.2015
14:22.47 – 1 Hellen Obiri (KEN) – Shanghai 13.05.2017
14:26.83 – 1 Almaz Ayana (ETH) – Beijing (World Championships) 30.08.2015
Biggest winning margins
17.24s 2015 – 14:26.83 Almaz Ayana (ETH), 14:44.07 Senbere Teferi (ETH)
5.49s 2017 – 14:34.86 Hellen Obiri (KEN), 14:40.35 Almaz Ayana (ETH)
3.20s 2001 – 15:03.39 Olga Yegorova (RUS), 15:06.59 Marta Domínguez (ESP)
Smallest winning margins
0.23s 2023 – 14:53.88 Faith Kipyegon (KEN), 14:54.11 Sifan Hassan (NED)
0.36s 2009 – 14:57.97 Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN), 14:58.33 Sylvia Kibet (KEN)
0.46s 2022 – 14:46.29 Gudaf Tsegay (ETH), 14:46.75 Beatrice Chebet (KEN)
Best mark by round
Heat — 14:32.29 Sifan Hassan (NED), 2023
Final — 14:26.72 Hellen Obiri (KEN), 2019
Multiple winners
1987/91 - Tatyana Samolenko (URS/UKR)*
1997/99 - Gabriela Szabo (ROU)
2003/05 - Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH)
2007/13 - Meseret Defar (ETH)
2009/11 - Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN)
2017/19 - Hellen Obiri (KEN)
*3000m
Winners by country
6 - Ethiopia
5 - Kenya
2 - Romania
1 - Ireland
1 - Russia
Five historic facts
- Kenya and Ethiopia have won the last 11 women's 5000m titles at the World Championships dating back to 2003
- Ethiopia are the most successful nation with six gold medals although Kenya have won three of the last four finals courtesy of Hellen Obiri (2017-19) and Faith Kipyegon (2023)
- Ethiopia has swept the medals on two occasions: 2005 (Ethiopia took a 1-2-3-4 in Helsinki) and 2015. Kenya has never won a clean sweep
- The last athlete to win a 5000/10,000m double was Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) in 2011. Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) also won a 5000/10,000 double in 2005
- Kenya won their first ever medal in a women's event in this stadium at the 1991 World Championships when Susan Sirma won bronze in the 3000m. The 3000m was replaced by the 5000m in Gothenburg in 1995
Potential storylines
- Can Beatrice Chebet (KEN) complete the full set of medals? She won silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023
- If Chebet wins, she will hold both Olympic and world 5000m and 10,000m titles along with the world cross country title, world road 5km title and world records at 5000m, 10,000m and 5km road
- Can Faith Kipyegon (KEN) become the fourth athlete to win back-to-back 5000m titles? The last repeat winner was Obiri in 2017-19
- Can Nadia Battocletti (ITA) win Italy's second medal in this event in World Championships history? Their only medal so far came in 1997 when Roberta Brunet won silver
- Anisleidis Ochoa (CUB) will become the first Cuban to compete in any event at the World Championships at any distance above 800m, excluding the marathon
