Faith Kipyegon wins the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (© Getty Images)
As the year draws to a close, we look back at the key moments of 2023 in each area of the sport.
The series continues with a review of the middle distance and long distance events, and will be followed over the coming days by reviews of all the other event groups.
Men’s 800m
Season top list
| 1:42.80 | Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 1:42.85 | Marco Arop (CAN) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 1:43.06 | Djamel Sedjati (ALG) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 1:43.22 | Wyclife Kinyamal (KEN) | Monaco | 21 July |
| 1:43.38 | Slimane Moula | Paris | 9 June |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) | 1449 |
| 2 | Marco Arop (CAN) | 1437 |
| 3 | Djamel Sedjati (ALG) | 1386 |
| 4 | Slimane Moula (ALG) | 1375 |
| 5 | Wyclife Kinyamal (KEN) | 1359 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Marco Arop (CAN) | 1:44.24 |
| 🥈 | Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) | 1:44.53 |
| 🥉 | Ben Pattison (GBR) | 1:44.83 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Marco Arop (CAN) 1:44.24
Wanda Diamond League: Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) 1:43.20
Asian Championships: Abubaker Haydar Abdalla (QAT) 1:45.33
South American Championships: Eduardo Moreira (BRA) 1:47.12
Pan-American Games: Jose Antonio Malta (VEN) 1:45.69
Asian Games: Essa Alis Kzwani (KSA) 1:48.05
Season at a glance
The men’s 800m competition in 2023 was held together by a central thread of rivalry between Kenya’s next big thing, 19-year-old Emmanuel Wanyonyi, and Canada’s 24-year-old Marco Arop.
Wanyonyi, world U20 champion on the home ground of Kasarani in 2021, continued to demonstrate his prodigious talent two years later as he dominated Wanda Diamond League racing, winning the final in a world-leading 1:42.80.
But it was Arop who won the biggest race of the season as he added world gold in Budapest to the bronze he had won the previous year in Oregon.
Wanyonyi earned victories in the Rabat and Paris Diamond League meetings before heading to the World Championships, after which he set a world lead of 1:43.20 in Xiamen before meeting Arop for the last time in the season at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene.
It was one hell of a race, with the younger man just finding the edge to finish ahead as Arop recorded a Canadian record of 1:42.85.
Arop’s victory in the Hungarian capital was founded on a smart switch in strategy. Known as a front-runner, he hedged his bets in the final, sitting at the back of the pack and allowing Wanyonyi to take the bell in 52.68.
As the second lap got underway, the Canadian made his ominous move forward, overtaking his rivals one by one until he arrived on the young Kenyan’s shoulder as they approached the final bend – at which point he went for broke.
Wanyonyi – who had received advice from his compatriot David Rudisha, the double Olympic and world champion and world record-holder present in Budapest as an event ambassador – did all he could to make up the gap, but had to settle for silver.
Arop crossed in 1:44.24 to become Canada’s first gold medallist in this event at the World Championships, with Wanyonyi clocking 1:44.53 and Britain’s Ben Pattison finishing in 1:44.91 to add world bronze to the Commonwealth version he had won the previous summer.
“I knew it was going to be a tactical race,” Arop said. “I was up late last night figuring out different ways to win. One scenario was to kick from behind in the way I did. I guess it was worth staying up late.”
Wanyonyi added: “I spoke with David Rudisha today, and he gave me some advice. He said: ‘Stay focused and fight until the end’. It feels great that he helped me to this silver.”
Wanyonyi’s compatriot Emmanuel Korir, the Olympic gold medallist, saw the defence of his title end in the heats, where he finished fourth in his race in 1:46.78.
Women’s 800m
Season top list
| 1:54.97 | Athing Mu (USA) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 1:55.19 | Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 1:55.96 | Natoya Goule-Toppin (JAM) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 1:56.03 | Mary Moraa (KEN) | Budapest | 17 August |
| 1:57.30 | Jemma Reekie (GBR) | London | 23 July |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Mary Moraa (KEN) | 1440 |
| 2 | Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) | 1439 |
| 3 | Natoya Goule-Toppin (JAM) | 1364 |
| 4 | Athing Mu (USA) | 1359 |
| 5 | Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) | 1354 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Mary Moraa (KEN) | 1:56.03 |
| 🥈 | Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) | 1:56.34 |
| 🥉 | Athing Mu (USA) | 1:56.61 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Mary Moraa (KEN) 1:56.03
Wanda Diamond League: Athing Mu (USA) 1:54.97
Asian Championships: Tharushi Karunarathna (SRI) 2:00.66
South American Championships: Flavia de Lima (BRA) 2:01.82
Pan-American Games: Sahily Diago (CUB) 2:02.71
Asian Games: Tharushi Karunarathna (SRI) 2:03.20
Season at a glance
Has there ever been a time like this for women’s 800m racing? The 2023 season involved three young runners of the highest calibre in Kenya’s 23-year-old Mary Moraa and 21-year-olds Keely Hodgkinson of Britain and Athing Mu of the United States – and they continued to push each other to ever-higher levels of performance.
The heart of the season, the World Athletics Championship final in Budapest, involved all three in a gripping final.
Hodgkinson, narrowly beaten by her US rival at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the previous year’s World Championships, finally got the better of her in the Hungarian capital as she finished in 1:56.34, with Mu – who had made a late decision to defend her title – one place behind her in 1:56.61.
One place in front of Hodgkinson, however, was the Kenyan who had beaten her to the Commonwealth title in Birmingham a year earlier. The exuberant Moraa, a world bronze medallist the year before, literally skipped over the line as she secured her first global gold in a personal best time of 1:56.03.
Mu, who before these championships had raced just once over this distance since winning gold in Oregon the previous year ahead of Hodgkinson and Moraa, led at the bell and into the finishing straight.
But as the trio pressed for the line, the defending champion came under pressure from both sides as Hodgkinson, so set on ending her run of victories, challenged on the inside, while Moraa charged on the outside.
Something had to give, and in the end it wasn’t the mercurial Kenyan, who greeted her victory by jumping and veering like a freed colt, her ponytail jolting behind her like a mane, before getting down to the serious business of dancing.
The manner in which Moraa had beaten Britain’s newly established world silver medallist on her home soil in Birmingham the previous year was uniquely random – the Kenyan began at the front and went all the way to the back again before reversing the effect and coming through for unexpected and unheralded gold.
Here, however, she ran an exemplary race, staying within range of Mu throughout before striking for home halfway down the finishing straight as the US runner, who had done very well to qualify after nearly being knocked off her feet by a falling runner in her semifinal, failed to find anything extra when she most needed it.
For Hodgkinson, whose transit from top class junior to top class senior in Tokyo was so swift and impressive, the occasion was bittersweet. One rival vanquished; another not.
While the focus was on this hugely talented trio, the rest of the field produced results of the highest quality as all eight finished inside two minutes.
Mu’s compatriot Raevyn Rogers, the Olympic bronze medallist, finished fourth in a season’s best of 1:57.45, one place ahead of the Briton who was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, Jemma Reekie (1:57.72).
In what was a super-swift final, Mu’s other teammate Nia Akins was sixth in a personal best of 1:57.73, with Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey seventh in 1:58.41, also a personal best, and 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda eighth in 1:59.18.
Moraa had made all the early running in the Wanda Diamond League, winning in Rabat, Lausanne and Silesia, although Hodgkinson was winner in Paris, lowering her British record by 0.11 to what was then the world lead of 1:55.77.
Mu ended the season on a high, though, winning at the Wanda Diamond League Final in a world-leading national record of 1:54.97 with Hodgkinson improving her own British record to 1:55.19 and Natoya Goule-Toppin of Jamaica taking third in 1:55.96.
Men’s 1500m
Season top list
| 3:27.14 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) | Chorzow | 16 July |
| 3:28.89 | Mohamed Katir (ESP) | Oslo | 15 June |
| 3:29.02 | Yared Nuguse (USA) | Oslo | 15 June |
| 3:29.08 | Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN) | Oslo | 15 June |
| 3:29.11 | Abel Kipsang (KEN) | Chorzow | 16 July |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) | 1524 |
| 2 | Yared Nuguse (USA) | 1459 |
| 3 | Josh Kerr (GBR) | 1413 |
| 4 | Narve Gilje Nordas (NOR) | 1402 |
| 5 | Abel Kipsang (KEN) | 1398 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Josh Kerr (GBR) | 3:29.38 |
| 🥈 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) | 3:29.65 |
| 🥉 | Narve Gilje Nordas (NOR) | 3:29.68 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Josh Kerr (GBR) 3:29.38
Wanda Diamond League (mile): Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:43.73
Asian Championships: Ajay Kumar Saroj (IND) 3:41.51
South American Championships: Diego Lacamoire (ARG) 3:47.99
Pan-American Games: Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (CAN) 3:39.74
Asian Games: Mohamad Al-Garni (QAT) 3:38.36
Season at a glance
Norway’s 22-year-old Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen enjoyed a another stupendous year of success, setting European records over the metric and actual mile at either end of the season as well as setting a two miles world best and breaking the world record for the rarely run 2000m.
But the most enduring memory for most observers will have been the uncanny repetition of events in the World Championship 1500m final where, for the second successive year, he was overtaken on the outside of the final bend by a British rival who then secured a shock victory.
For Jake Wightman at the 2022 edition in Oregon, read Josh Kerr at the 2023 championships in Budapest. Not only were they both in the British vest, but both were qualified to run for Scotland, and, extraordinarily, they were members of the same club – Edinburgh AC.
Lightning struck twice as far as Ingebrigtsen was concerned, and the bolt went right through his heart.
Acknowledging the cheers upon his introduction, Ingebrigtsen had raised one forefinger to indicate his prediction of the night’s result. It proved incorrect.
Kenya’s Abel Kipsang led out, with Ingebrigtsen at his shoulder, before the Norwegian moved into the lead with two-and-a-half laps remaining, with the usual effect of changing the shape of the race from a bunch to a line.
But Kerr, who had finished fifth in the Oregon final, was at his shoulder as they reached the bell, inscrutable behind his trademark shades, and the Norwegian had it all still to do.
The 25-year-old Scot made his move with utter conviction and duly added a global title to his Olympic bronze in 3:29.38, with Ingebrigtsen earning a second world silver at this distance in 3:29.65.
It could have been a lot worse. He finished just a stride and 0.03 ahead of his fast-finishing compatriot and former training partner Narve Nordas, coached by his estranged father Gjert.
Kipsang was fourth in 3:29.39, and up-and-coming US talent Yared Nuguse fifth in 3:30.25.
Ingebrigtsen, chastened, went on to retain his world 5000m title with iron in his soul…
Fittingly, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, twice Olympic and once European champion at the distance, stepped on to the track to present Kerr, sans shades, with his golden reward.
“Those last moments of the race will be engraved on my brain for a very long time,” Kerr reflected. “I knew I had him with about 50m to go.
“It's crazy that Edinburgh Athletics Club has back-to-back world champions. I know Jake was in the crowd tonight and due respect to him for laying the path for me to follow.”
Having recovered from a lingering viral infection to retain his European indoor 1500m and 3000m titles in Istanbul, Ingebrigtsen had got his outdoor season into full swing with victory over most of his obvious rivals in the home Diamond League meeting in Oslo, where he lowered the European record to 3:27.95 as he finished ahead of Spain’s Mohamed Katir on 3:28.89, Nuguse in a North American record of 3:29.02 and Kenya’s 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot in 3:29.08.
At the Paris Diamond League meeting on 9 June, Ingebrigtsen set a two miles world best of 7:54.10, shattering the mark of 7:58.61 that had stood to Daniel Komen of Kenya since 1997.
A month later at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Silesia, Ingebrigtsen lowered the continental 1500m mark again to 3:27.14, putting him fourth on the world all-time list.
Post-Budapest, Ingebrigtsen resumed his omnipotent progress in the Diamond League, marking his first run on a super-fast new track at a revamped King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels by lowering the world 2000m record to 4:43.13 – comfortably inside the mark of 4:44.79 set by Hicham El Guerrouj in Berlin 24 years earlier.
It was a first outdoor world record for Ingebrigtsen, who had set a world indoor 1500m record of 3:30.60 in 2022.
At the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene he was after another of El Guerrouj’s world records – the mile mark of 3:43.13 set in Rome in 1999.
Ingebrigtsen produced the third-fastest mile ever seen as he clocked 3:43.73, a superb finale to a season that had been – almost – perfect.
There had been some friendly pre-race banter between Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse, who was targeting the US record of 3:46.91, Ingebrigtsen had said: “Just stick to me as long as you can, and we’ll get you sub-3:46.”
And so it proved as Nuguse, hanging on to his Norwegian rival for as long as he could, was second in a North American record of 3:43.97, with Britain’s George Mills third in 3:47.65, a personal best by almost two seconds.
Mario Garcia was fourth in a Spanish record of 3:47.69 and Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot was fifth in a world U20 record of 3:48.06. In total, 11 of the 13 athletes set personal bests.
Ingebrigtsen’s final flourish turned out to be the gift that kept on giving.
Women’s 1500m
Season top list
| 3:49.11 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | Florence | 2 June |
| 3:53.93 | Diribe Welteji (ETH) | Eugene | 16 September |
| 3:54.03 | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | Rabat | 28 May |
| 3:54.87 | Hirut Meshesha (ETH) | Chorzow | 16 July |
| 3:54.93 | Birke Haylom (ETH) | Chorzow | 16 July |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | 1539 |
| 2 | Diribe Welteji (ETH) | 1443 |
| 3 | Laura Muir (GBR) | 1417 |
| 4 | Freweyni Hailu (ETH) | 1401 |
| 5 | Ciara Mageean (IRL) | 1396 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | 3:54.87 |
| 🥈 | Diribe Welteji (ETH) | 3:55.69 |
| 🥉 | Sifan Hassan (NED) | 3:56.00 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 3:54.87
Wanda Diamond League: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 3:50.72
Asian Championships: Nozomi Tanaka (JPN) 4:06.75
South American Championships: Fedra Luna (ARG) 4:14.52
Pan-American Games: Joselyn Brea (VEN) 4:11.80
Asian Games: Winfred Yavi (BRN) 4:11.65
Season at a glance
In terms of the women’s 1500m and mile events, the 2023 season was all about one woman: Faith Kipyegon.
On 2 June at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence, the hugely popular Kenyan runner set a landmark world record by becoming the first woman to run the 1500m in less than 3:50.
The double Olympic 1500m champion stopped the clock at 3:49.11, taking almost a second off the mark of 3:50.07 set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco in 2015.
On 23 July, at the Monaco Diamond League meeting, Kipyegon produced another track performance for the ages, clocking 4:07.64 to obliterate the world mile record of 4:12.33 set in 2019 at the same Herculis meeting in Stade Louis II by Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands.
It was her third world record in less than two months as, just a week after breaking the 1500m mark, she produced a 5000m time of 14:05.20 in Paris.
Kipyegon banished frustrating memories of the Monaco meeting with this stupendous performance.
In 2020 she had missed the world 1000m record by just 0.17 as she ran 2:29.15. And in 2022 she had come within 0.3 of Dibaba’s world 1500m record set on the same track.
It looked a case of third time lucky on this occasion – although luck didn’t come into it as the 29-year-old mother shattered her 2015 personal best of 4:16.71 with another inexorable performance in the penultimate big meeting before the World Athletics Championships started in Budapest on 19 August.
While Kipyegon was in a race of her own, a world-class field battled it out further down the track, with European 1500m silver medallist Ciara Mageean excelling herself again to finish second in an Irish record of 4:14.58.
Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu was third in 4:14.79, with the Briton who followed Kipyegon home at the Tokyo Olympics, Laura Muir, fourth in a national record of 4:15.24.
Behind her Australia’s Jessica Hull – who had set a 1500m area record of 3:57.29 in finishing third behind Kipyegon in Florence – set an area record of 4:15.34 and Nikki Hiltz of the United States also recorded an area record of 4:16.35.
Once again, as they had done following her 1500m breakthrough, Kipyegon’s rivals made it very clear how pleased they were that she had another world record.
"It was a blessing to do this with these ladies," said Kipyegon. "I can see that they are all happy for me and it is so emotional. I do not know how I am doing this because it just keeps going really in a good way.
"When I started this season, my goal was to just break the 1500m world record. Thank God I did also the one mile and the 5000 metres – so many!”
Her annexing of a record third women’s world 1500m title after the previous successes of 2017 and 2022 was hardly surprising – but nor was it automatic given the quality of her opposition.
The field included multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Hassan, Britain’s Olympic silver medallist and 2022 world bronze medallist Muir and rising Ethiopian talents Diribe Welteji and Birke Haylom.
Kipyegon controlled the race from the front and after kicking hard at the bell she established daylight between herself and Welteji with 200 metres remaining.
Hassan, meanwhile, had moved up into third place, overtaking Mageean, Muir and Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir. But there was no catching Kipyegon as she moved away to win in 3:54.87, covering the final 800m in 1:59.83 – a time that had won world 800m titles in the past.
Welteji took silver in 3:55.69, with Hassan earning bronze in 3:56.00, some consolation for her fall on the opening day of the championships when apparently poised to win the world 10,000m title.
Mageean finished fourth in an Irish record of 3:56.61, while 20-year-old Chepchirchir – who had impressed in the heats and semifinals – clocked a PB of 3:57.90 for fifth.
The next three women – Muir, Hull and Britain’s Katie Snowden – all finished inside four minutes.
“Today I was chasing this title and I was chasing history. My plan was to get to the front and to go faster because I know these races can be up and down. I just got myself in front after 300m and nobody came.”
The Wanda Diamond League Final was won, inevitably, by Kipyegon, who signed off a stellar track season with a time of 3:50.72.
It was a record-breaking season in many ways, as there were 71 sub-four-minute performances achieved throughout the year by 25 women.
Men’s 5000m
Season top list
| 12:40.45 | Berihu Aregawi | Lausanne | 30 June |
| 12:41.61 | Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) | Lausanne | 9 June |
| 12:41.73 | Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) | Oslo | 15 June |
| 12:41.73 | Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) | Oslo | 15 June |
| 12:42.18 | Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) | Monaco | 21 July |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) | 1453 |
| 2 | Berihu Aregawi (ETH) | 1430 |
| 3 | Mohamed Katir (ESP) | 1415 |
| 4 | Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) | 1412 |
| 5 | Telahun Haile Bekele (ETH) | 1409 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) | 13:11.30 |
| 🥈 | Mohamed Katir (ESP) | 13:11.44 |
| 🥉 | Jacob Krop (KEN) | 13:12.28 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 13:11.30
Wanda Diamond League (3000m): Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 7:23.63
Asian Championships: Hyuga Endo (JPN) 13:34.94
South American Championships: Valentin Soca (URU) 13:55.42
Pan-American Games: Kasey Knevelbaard (USA) 14:47.69
Asian Games: Birhanu Balew (BRN) 13:17.40
Season at a glance
Just as it had done at the previous year’s edition, the men’s 5000m at the World Championships in Budapest offered Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen a chance to return to his customary spot on the podium after a shock defeat by a Brit over 1500m.
In Oregon last year, Ingebrigtsen stepped up to win by a margin of 0.23 from Kenya’s Jacob Krop.
That margin of victory looked ample by comparison with that of 2023 as, after a gripping side-by-side sprint, his will prevailed over that of his Spanish rival Mohamed Katir and he made a successful defence of his title by finishing 0.14 ahead – 13:11.30 to 13:11.44.
Katir had briefly held the world lead for 5000m after winning at the Wanda Diamond League in Florence in 12:52.09, but that distinction was soon taken by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who clocked 12:41.73 in an extraordinary race in Oslo where second-placed Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda was given the same time.
Then 15 days later, Kejelcha’s compatriot Berihu Aregawi ran 12.40.45 in Lausanne to move to fifth on the world all-time list.
Aregawi finished more than a second clear of Uganda’s world record-holder Joshua Cheptegei, whose time of 12:41.61 remained the second best of the season.
When it came to the biggest race of the year, however, neither Kejelcha nor Aregawi could reach the podium as they finished respectively fifth and eighth.
While the result in Budapest restored Ingebrigtsen’s equilibrium, it also rehabilitated the morale of silver medallist Katir, who had failed to qualify for the 1500m final having earned world bronze at that distance the previous year.
Krop, meanwhile, added another world medal to his collection after finishing third in 13:12.28, with Luis Grijalva of Guatemala taking fourth place for the second successive year in 13:12.50.
“To win another world title is great of course, but I was very tired,” said Ingebrigtsen. “I tried to save my energy to win at the end because that was the only way tonight. It was a very hard run, especially in the last 40-50 metres. It was great racing.
“This title means a lot to me after losing again in the 1500m. I haven't been at my best but I had the motivation and I had great support. This week was a bit bittersweet overall, but this is a good way to end.”
A season which saw a total of 18 men run under 13 minutes – and eight inside 12:47 – concluded with another high for Ingebrigtsen on the second day of the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene.
Less than 24 hours after running the third-fastest mile of all time, Ingebrigtsen earned a victory in the 3000m by a margin that made even his world 5000m title win look comfortable, finishing just 0.01 ahead of Kejelcha in yet another example of “great racing”.
The 22-year-old Norwegian, who was due to get married the following week, saw his hopes of breaking Daniel Komen’s 1996 world record of 7:20.67 fade by 2000m, but after holding off the desperate late surge by the Ethiopian who had stalked him from the bell, he was rewarded with a European and Diamond League record of 7:23.63.
Kejelcha was second in a national record of 7:23.64, with home runner Grant Fisher finishing strong to take third place in a North American record of 7:25.47. Ethiopia’s Telahun Bekele and Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega were fourth and fifth in respective personal bests of 7:25.48 and 7:26.28.
Women’s 5000m
Season top list
| 14:00.21 | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 14:05.20 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | Paris | 9 June |
| 14:05.92 | Beatrice Chebet (KEN) | Eugene | 17 September |
| 14:07.94 | Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) | Paris | 9 June |
| 14:13.31 | Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) | Paris | 9 June |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | 1456 |
| 2 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | 1429 |
| 3 | Beatrice Chebet (KEN) | 1428 |
| 4 | Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) | 1387 |
| 5 | Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (KEN) | 1382 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | 14:53.88 |
| 🥈 | Sifan Hassan (NED) | 14:54.11 |
| 🥉 | Beatrice Chebet (KEN) | 14:54.33 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 14:53.88
Wanda Diamond League: Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) 14:00.21
Asian Championships: Yuma Yamamoto (JPN) 15:51.16
South American Championships: Fedra Luna (ARG) 16:06.00
Pan-American Games: Joselyn Brea (VEN) 16:04.12
Asian Games: Parul Chaudhary (IND) 15:14.75
Season at a glance
As in the 1500m, Faith Kipyegon dominated the women’s 5000m in 2023 – but there was a startling final twist thanks to her Ethiopian rival Gudaf Tsegay.
Just a week after becoming the first woman to run the 1500m in less than 3:50 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence, Kipyegon produced another largely unexpected world record in the 5000m at the Paris Diamond League meeting.
Just for context: Kipyegon had only run the distance twice before, the last time in 2015.
She moved dramatically into a new area of excellence as she took more than a second off the 2020 mark of 14:06.62 set by Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey, who was second in 14:07.94.
As the World Championships drew closer, Tsegay had warmed up by winning the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London in a personal best of 14:12.29.
By the time she got to Budapest Tsegay was in top form – and proved it on day one in the 10,000m final as her driving pursuit of Hassan down the finishing straight contributed to the Dutch runner’s stumble and fall which enabled her Ethiopian rival to claim gold.
For much of the 5000m final it looked as if Tsegay, the defending champion, might be on for a double.
But her challenge faded over the final lap as Kipyegon, pursued by Hassan and Kenya’s world cross country champion Beatrice Chebet, led a string of runners past her en route to her second world gold in Budapest.
Kipyegon crossed in 14:53.88, becoming the first woman to win world gold over 1500m and 5000m at the same championships, with Hassan earning silver in 14:54.11 and Chebet adding bronze to her previous year’s silver in 14:54.33.
“This has been an amazing year for me,” Kipyegon said. “Making history today, winning two gold medals in a championship is what I was dreaming for this season. I have been patient, waiting to be able to break world records and win double golds. But my dream just came true, it is amazing.”
Tsegay, dealing with a minor foot injury, drifted down to 13th place, finishing in 15:01.13. But her season was far from finished.
At the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene, the 26-year-old Ethiopian took nearly five seconds off Kipyegon’s 5000m world record as she missed breaking 14 minutes by a fraction, clocking 14:00.21.
Chebet finished second in 14:05.92, missing her compatriot’s previous world record by 0.72.
"I was really angry to not bring back two medals from the World Championships, but I knew from our training I had a lot of potential to do something with my fitness," said Tsegay.
Men’s 10,000m
Season top list
| 26:50.66 | Berihu Aregawi (ETH) | Nerja | 23 June |
| 26:51.87 | Selemon Barega (ETH) | Nerja | 23 June |
| 26:57.80 | Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) | Brussels | 8 September |
| 27:06.37 | Woody Kincaid (USA) | San Juan Capistrano | 4 March |
| 27:06.88 | Richard Etir (KEN) | Yokohama | 22 April |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) | 1359 |
| 2 | Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) | 1351 |
| 3 | Selemon Barega (ETH) | 1306 |
| 4 | Berihu Aregawi (ETH) | 1306 |
| 5 | Benard Kibet (KEN) | 1281 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) | 27:51.42 |
| 🥈 | Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) | 27:52.60 |
| 🥉 | Selemon Barega (ETH) | 27:52.72 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) 27:51.42
Asian Championships: Ren Tazawa (JPN) 29:18.44
South American Championships: Carlos Diaz (CHI) 28:57.18
Pan-American Games: Isai Rodriguez (USA) 28:17.84
Asian Games: Birhanu Balew (BRN) 28:13.62
Season at a glance
For Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi the story of the 10,000m was the same as that of the 5000m – despite topping the world list for the season, he failed to earn any tangible reward at the World Championships.
His victory over compatriot Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000m champion, in Nerja in Spain on 23 June saw him register a time (26:50.66) that was not surpassed at any point in the year, with Barega’s clocking of 26:51.87 also standing up as the second best overall.
One other man broke 27 minutes in 2023 – Daniel Ebenyo of Kenya, who recorded 26:57.80 when winning at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Brussels.
But while Ebenyo and Barega earned places on the podium in Budapest, Aregawi endured the frustration of finishing one place off the medals.
Uganda’s world record-holder and Olympic silver medallist Joshua Cheptegei finished the season way adrift of his Ethiopian rivals in terms of his best time, with 27:51.42 leaving him 91st on the world list. But it was the time he needed to win a third consecutive world title after a slow and tactical race.
Cheptegei didn’t need to move up the gears until the closing stages as he took over the lead from Aregawi – who had tried in vain to burn off all opposition with five 64-secong laps – with 600m remaining.
Barega was the man who sought to bridge the gap, gritting his teeth as he gave chase into the finishing straight, but once he realised Cheptegei could not be caught he faded to third in 27:57.72, allowing the fast-finishing Ebenyo to claim silver in 27:57.60. Aregawi was fourth in 27:55.71.
For Cheptegei, it was another momentous win.
At the age of 26, he entered the record books as the fourth man to claim a hat-trick of world 10,000m titles, following Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, who both won four, and Britain’s Mo Farah.
“I am very excited and proud that I have succeeded in winning my third world title in a row,” said Cheptegei, already laying plans for a marathon debut in Valencia. “This was the best possible way to end the season. This might be my last championships on the track. That's why this gold medal means even more.”
Women’s 10,000m
Season top list
| 29:29.73 | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | Nerja | 23 June |
| 29:37.80 | Sifan Hassan (NED) | Hengelo | 3 June |
| 29:47.42 | Grace Loibac Nawowuna (KEN) | Hengelo | 3 June |
| 29:57.45 | Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) | Nerja | 23 June |
| 29:59.03 | Mizan Alem (ETH) | London | 20 May |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) | 1382 |
| 2 | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | 1367 |
| 3 | Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) | 1339 |
| 4 | Sifan Hassan (NED) | 1325 |
| 5 | Alicia Monson (USA) | 1321 |
World medallists
| 🥇 | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | 31:27.18 |
| 🥈 | Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) | 31:28.16 |
| 🥉 | Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) | 31:28.31 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
World Championships: Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) 31:27.18
Asian Championships: Haruka Kokai (JPN) 32:59.36
South American Championships: Luz Mery Rojas (PER) 34:25.00
Pan-American Games: Luz Mery Rojas (PER) 33:12.19
Asian Games: Violah Jepchumba (BRN) 31:43.73
Season at a glance
The FBK Games in Hengelo in June offered Sifan Hassan, the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion, the opportunity to put down an early marker on the longer distance as she looked ahead to regaining the world title she had won in 2019.
The marker went down – victory in 29:37.80.
But within three weeks, that early world lead had been replaced by an effort from Hassan’s Ethiopian rival, Gudaf Tsegay. The reigning world 5000m champion – and world indoor 1500m record holder – powered home to win in Nerja in Spain, clocking a personal best of 29:29.73, a time which moved her to fourth on the world all-time list.
It was only Tsegay’s second race at the distance.
All three of the times above her were world records when they were recorded: Almaz Ayana’s 29:17.45 to win the 2016 Olympic title, Hassan’s 29:06.82 run in Hengelo in 2021, and Letesenbet Gidey’s 29:01.03 achieved just two days later.
Hassan’s chance to recover pre-eminence over her Ethiopian rival came on the opening day of the World Championships with a 10,000m final that also involved the world record-holder.
Gidey led at the bell – a stride ahead of Tsegay, with Alicia Monson of the United States and Hassan, who had moved up from 10th position, in fourth place and heading for the front, a position she reached in the back straight.
As she rounded the final bend, the 30-year-old Dutch athlete held a metre lead over the closest of her pursuers – Tsegay. It looked as if it might be enough, but the Ethiopian, grimly determined, drew level with her 20 metres from the line and suddenly Hassan was sprawling on the track, looking desperately at her intended destination.
By the time the Olympic champion had walked across the line in 11th place, Tsegay had earned her second world title, recording 31:27.18, with Gidey earning silver in 31:28.16 and Ejgayehu Taye completing an Ethiopian sweep in 31:28.31.
Six women finished the season clocking times inside 30 minutes – and four of them were Ethiopian, with Taye and Lemlem Hailu finishing respectively second and third behind Tsegay in Nerja in 29:57.45 and 29:59.15, and with Mizan Alem clocking 29:59.03 in London.
Grace Nawowuna, meanwhile, who finished second behind Hassan in Hengelo, ended up third on the list on 29:47.42.
Missing out on the sub-30 club by less than a second was Britain’s Eilish McColgan, who trimmed 0.23 off the national record set by Paula Radcliffe in winning the 2002 European title in Munich, clocking 30:00.86. That was almost a minute and a quarter faster than the time her mother Liz ran to win the world title in Tokyo in 1991 – just over nine months after giving birth to her.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics
