Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba receives her 5000m gold medal (© Getty Images)
3000m champion Mercy Cherono stumbled in her attempt to double tonight, though she was in contention to the very end. It was Genzebe Dibaba in the end who managed the victory in a championship record 15:08.06.
Cherono and her team-mate Alice Nawowuna were the early leaders, along with Dibaba. Nawowuna was the first leader, running barefoot, and she pulled the pack through a 3:01.66 first kilometre. The pace slowed slightly in the second kilometre, reached in 6:03.69, but by then the field had been strung out and Nawowuna was leading a pack of seven, including both Kenyans, both Ethiopians, Daba of Bahrain, Yeum of Korea and Izawa of Japan.
Cherono moved to the front after the 2000m split and thinned the pack even more, dropping everyone but Daba, then by 3km Daba was also falling back and Nawowuna was back into third. The battle for the win was clearly between Cherono and Dibaba.
The 3000m split was 9:03.11 and 4000m 12:09.44, with Nawowuna almost back in contention, but finally Dibaba, who had previously seemed likely to wait in second until the closing lap, started making moves.
She bounced up on Cherono's shoulder with two laps to go, then settled back behind when Cherono matched her pace. They traded places again on the backstretch, and again as they approached the bell, Dibaba each time backing off her sprint when Cherono covered the move.
That was how they reached the homestretch, with a narrow lead for Cherono as finally both of them broke into a dead sprint. It looked for a moment like Cherono might keep the victory, but running on the inside of the track she abruptly stumbled, having stepped on the rail on the inside of the track.
Dibaba seized the chance to take a lead Cherono could not make up.
Cherono was so confused by the mishap she practically gave up the fight, and Dibaba was far from top speed when she reached the line.
Nanowuna was third in 15:17.39, a PB.
Daba, in fourth, set a national junior record of 15:29.78 for Bahrain, and Diaz of Mexico also set a junior record of 15:56.12 in 7th.
Parker Morse for the IAAF
