Canada’s Moh Ahmed frustrated with another sixth-place finish in men’s 10,000m final

The men’s 10,000m final on Sunday night at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was a disappointing déjà vu moment for Canada’s Moh Ahmed, who finished sixth in the race for the fourth consecutive time.

Ahmed was in the mix of seven athletes contending for medals with two laps to go in the 25-lap race. When Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei pushed the pace at the front by with 600m to go, Ahmed made the cover but ran out of gas in the final 200m, crossing the line in 27:56.43 for sixth.

Cheptegei won the race in 27:51.42, earning his third consecutive world championship title in the event. Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo took silver in 27:52.60 and the reigning Olympic 10,000m champion, Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, won bronze (27:52.72).

“I thought I ran it really well,” stresses Ahmed. “I felt I was relaxed and composed for a really long time. I had high aspirations this year, and I’m very disappointed to be sixth, again.”

This is Ahmed’s fourth consecutive sixth-place finish in the men’s 10,000m at a major championship. He was sixth at the 2022 Worlds in Eugene, sixth at the Tokyo Olympics, and sixth at the 2019 Worlds in Doha, Qatar.

The way the men’s 10,000m unfolded in Budapest was nearly identical to the race at worlds in Eugene last year. Ahmed had the chance to put Canada on the podium on the final lap, but ultimately lost contact with Cheptegei in the final 300m.

“It’s meaningless to be honest.”

“I’ve had success and some break throughs… but with the 10,000m, I’ve had a lot of failures.”

– Moh Ahmed 🇨🇦 after the men’s 10,000m final#WABudapest2023 #TeamCanada pic.twitter.com/GAoP3zegT5

— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) August 21, 2023

Some could argue that placing sixth in one of track and field’s toughest events at four straight major championships is a sign of consistency and showcases world-class talent in an event that’s predominantly won by East Africans. But for Ahmed, it’s meaningless.

“I’ve been doing this for 11 years, and I don’t run for consistency—I run for medals,” says Ahmed. “I know at my best I can be the best in the world, but I haven’t achieved my best yet.”

The 32-year-old will have another opportunity to break through for a medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the men’s 5,000m, with the prelims beginning on Thursday and the final taking place on Sunday evening. Ahmed has previously won a silver and bronze medal over this distance. He finished fifth in this event last year, behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won gold.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships are taking place from August 19-27 at the National Stadium in Budapest, Hungary. All the action will be brought to you by Canadian Running and Asics Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.