Jakob Ingebrigtsen wins Olympic gold in 5,000m final
Ingebrigtsen is the first Norwegian to win an Olympic gold medal in the 5,000m
Photo by:
Nick Iwanyshyn
After a humiliating defeat in the 1,500m, double world 5,000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen found redemption in the 5,000m once again, winning gold in the Olympic final on Saturday evening in Paris. It was the first time a Norwegian has ever won Olympic gold in the 5,000m. Ronald Kwemoi of Kenya took silver, in 13:15.04, and Team USA’s Grant Fisher earned the bronze, in 13:15.13–after also winning bronze in the 10,000m eight days ago.
It was a slow, tactical race that gave Ingebrigtsen, a strong 1,500m kicker, a huge advantage; commentators pointed out that at both the 2022 and 2023 world championships, where he was beaten in the 1,500m (by Team GB’s Jake Wightman in 2022 and Josh Kerr in 2023), he followed up with 5,000m wins in very slow races.
Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet, the second fastest 5,000m runner of all time and the fastest man this year, surprised fans by staying well back in the pack until late in the race; with 600m left, he made his move, putting a few metres between himself and the field, but by the final 200m, Ingebrigtsen had caught him and passed him wide, along with Kwemoi. Gebrhiwet was not able to sustain the momentum and ended up finishing fifth.
Thomas Fafard, the only Canadian in the race, finished 22nd, in 13:49.69. After finishing a very close fourth in the 10,000m final eight days ago, Canada’s Moh Ahmed was hoping to defend his silver medallist performance in the 5,000m from Tokyo 2020, but it was not to be; Ahmed fell in the final lap of the qualifying round and could not catch up. Athletics Canada appealed for him to be allowed into the final, but the appeal was denied.
Canada’s Moh Ahmed narrowly misses podium in Olympic 10,000m
__________________________________________________________________________
Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is 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.
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
