Letesenbet Gidey fights for the world 10,000m title ahead of Hellen Obiri in Oregon (© AFP / Getty Images)
As the first individual track final of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 wound up into a four-woman sprint for 10,000m gold in the final 100m, Letesenbet Gidey could have been excused for suffering a momentary shudder of deja vu.
Beaten by Sifan Hassan’s blistering sprint finishes when it came to the business end of the 25-lap finals at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha and the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year, the world record-holder from Ethiopia found the flying Dutchwoman suddenly looming on her shoulder as she entered the home straight.
This time, however, Hassan had nothing left in the tank as Gidey gritted her teeth and kicked on.
With just one low-key 5000m race under her belt since the trailblazing 2021 season that yielded her Olympic 5000m and 10,000m gold and 1500m bronze, Hassan’s lack of sharpness suddenly told as she faded out of the medals, crossing the line fourth in 30:10.56.
Gidey was left to dig in for her for first global gold, holding off Kenya’s two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri in 30:09.94.
The consolation for Obiri, after finishing fifth in the 10,000m final in Doha and fourth in Tokyo, was a silver medal in 30:10.02, a personal best for the 32-year-old. Her Kenyan team mate Margaret Kipkemboi pipped Hassan to the bronze, clocking 30:10.56.
Hellen Obiri, Letesenbet Gidey and Ejgayehu Taye in the 10,000m final in Oregon (© Getty Images)
It was a cracking finish to a slow burner of a contest that built to a thrilling crescendo, a final sprint securing Gidey the world 10,000m title to go alongside the world record she claimed from Hassan with her stunning 29:01.03 run in Hengelo in June last year.
Hassan took her place on the start line with just that one competitive outing behind her in 2022: a winning 15:13.41 in the Stumptown Twilight 5000m race in Portland on 8 July.
The defending champion was content to sit four from the back as Britain’s Eilish McColgan led through the opening 400m in a comfortable 75:36. Japan’s Ririka Hironaka took over at the front on lap two, leading past 1km in 3:04.80.
Obiri settled into third, with the other big hitters content to keep their powder dry farther back in the 19-strong pack.
Hironaka, seventh in the Olympic final last year, also led through 2km in 6:08.84 and 3km in 9:11.87, churning out laps of 73 seconds with metronomic precision.
All the while, Hassan stayed well back, happy to maintain a watching brief on the business end from 15th place.
Hironaka led at the halfway point in 15:19.31 but, with the pace dropping to 74 seconds per lap, McColgan and Obiri moved past the Japanese athlete – but without applying any pressure.
With eight and a half laps to go, Gidey and world indoor 3000m bronze medallist Ejgayehu Taye moved to the front. As Hironaka and McColgan drifted back off the pace, Hassan moved up to ninth.
The Ethiopians took it in turns to push the pace, upping the speed to 71-second laps and then a 69-second circuit in a 2:57 kilometre.
Four laps out, Obiri tried to get in on the act but was nudged back by the two Ethiopians. Hassan had to work to stay in touch on a couple of occasions but was in place to strike when Obiri, Taye and Gidey jockeyed for position at the bell.
Gidey led down the back straight from Taye and Obiri, then Hassan moved up, ready to strike off the final bend. But it was not to be.
Behind Hassan, Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel took fifth place in 30:12.15, ahead of Taye (sixth in 30:12.45, a PB) and Caroline Kipkirui of Kazakhstan (seventh in 30:17.64, a national record).
Taye’s Ethiopian teammate Bosena Mulatie (30:17.77), Karissa Schweizer of the US (3:18.05, a PB) and McColgan (30:34.60) also made the top 10.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics
| WOMEN'S 10,000m MEDALLISTS | ||
| 🥇 | Letesenbet Gidey 🇪🇹 ETH | 30:09.94 WL |
| 🥈 | Hellen Obiri 🇰🇪 KEN | 30:10.02 PB |
| 🥉 | Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi 🇰🇪 KEN | 30:10.07 PB |
| Full results | ||
