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5000 metres at the Olympics

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5000 metres
at the Olympic Games
The 2012 Olympic men's 5000 m final
Overview
SportAthletics
GenderMen and women
Years heldMen: 19122024
Women: 19842024
Olympic record
Men12:57.82 Kenenisa Bekele (2008)
Women14:26.17 Vivian Cheruiyot (2016)
Reigning champion
Men Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
Women Beatrice Chebet (KEN)

The 5000 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the fifth edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 5000 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1912. The 3000 metres was the first women's Olympic long-distance track event, making its initial appearance at the 1984 Olympics, and this distance was extended to match the men's event from 1996 onwards. It is the most prestigious 5000 m race at elite level. The competition format typically has two qualifying heats leading to a final between fifteen athletes.

The Olympic records for the event are 12:57.82 minutes for men, set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2008, and 14:26.17 minutes for women, set by Vivian Cheruiyot in 2016. At the inaugural 1912 Olympic 5000 metres, Hannes Kolehmainen set the first official IAAF world record for the event. However, this remains the only time that the 5000 metres world record has been broken in Olympic competition. The best time recorded for the women's Olympic 3000 m was 8:26.53 minutes by Tetyana Dorovskikh (then Samolenko) at the 1988 Seoul Olympics; the world record for that event was not improved during an Olympic race.

Only three athletes have won multiple titles in the event. Lasse Virén became the first with his back-to-back wins in 1972 and 1976, while Meseret Defar became the first woman to win two titles in 2012, having previously won in 2004. Mo Farah became the third person with multiple titles, and the second with back-to-back wins, in 2012 and 2016. Three athletes have reached the podium on three occasions: Defar was also the 2008 bronze medallist, Tirunesh Dibaba won medals from 2004 to 2012, and Paavo Nurmi won medals in the period from 1920 to 1928. Historically, athletes in this event have also had success in the 10,000 metres at the Olympics. The winner of the men's Olympic 5000 m has completed a long-distance track double on nine occasions, the most recent being Farah at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Tirunesh Dibaba is the only woman to complete this double, having done so at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Ethiopia is the most successful nation in the event, having taken six gold medals and fifteen medals in total. The next most successful nation, depending on definition, is either Finland or Kenya. In terms of gold medals, Finland is equal with Ethiopia at six, but has a total of twelve overall medals to Ethiopia's 15. Finland's period of great success in the 1920s and 1930s led to the wide usage of the nickname the Flying Finns; Kaarlo Maaninka was the last Finnish athlete to medal over 5000 m, in 1980. Kenya have won fourteen medals in the 5000 m, second only to Ethiopia in total medals in the event, although John Ngugi and Vivian Cheruiyot are the only Kenyans to have won Olympic gold.

Medal summary

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Men

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1912 Stockholm
details
Hannes Kolehmainen
 Finland
Jean Bouin
 France
George Hutson
 Great Britain
1920 Antwerp
details
Joseph Guillemot
 France
Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Eric Backman
 Sweden
1924 Paris
details
Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Ville Ritola
 Finland
Edvin Wide
 Sweden
1928 Amsterdam
details
Ville Ritola
 Finland
Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Edvin Wide
 Sweden
1932 Los Angeles
details
Lauri Lehtinen
 Finland
Ralph Hill
 United States
Lauri Virtanen
 Finland
1936 Berlin
details
Gunnar Höckert
 Finland
Lauri Lehtinen
 Finland
Henry Jonsson
 Sweden
1948 London
details
Gaston Reiff
 Belgium
Emil Zátopek
 Czechoslovakia
Willem Slijkhuis
 Netherlands
1952 Helsinki
details
Emil Zátopek
 Czechoslovakia
Alain Mimoun
 France
Herbert Schade
 Germany
1956 Melbourne
details
Vladimir Kuts
 Soviet Union
Gordon Pirie
 Great Britain
Derek Ibbotson
 Great Britain
1960 Rome
details
Murray Halberg
 New Zealand
Hans Grodotzki
 United Team of Germany
Kazimierz Zimny
 Poland
1964 Tokyo
details
Bob Schul
 United States
Harald Norpoth
 United Team of Germany
Bill Dellinger
 United States
1968 Mexico City
details
Mohammed Gammoudi
 Tunisia
Kipchoge Keino
 Kenya
Naftali Temu
 Kenya
1972 Munich
details
Lasse Virén
 Finland
Mohammed Gammoudi
 Tunisia
Ian Stewart
 Great Britain
1976 Montreal
details
Lasse Virén
 Finland
Dick Quax
 New Zealand
Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand
 West Germany
1980 Moscow
details
Miruts Yifter
 Ethiopia
Suleiman Nyambui
 Tanzania
Kaarlo Maaninka
 Finland
1984 Los Angeles
details
Saïd Aouita
 Morocco
Markus Ryffel
 Switzerland
António Leitão
 Portugal
1988 Seoul
details
John Ngugi
 Kenya
Dieter Baumann
 West Germany
Hansjörg Kunze
 East Germany
1992 Barcelona
details
Dieter Baumann
 Germany
Paul Bitok
 Kenya
Fita Bayisa
 Ethiopia
1996 Atlanta
details
Vénuste Niyongabo
 Burundi
Paul Bitok
 Kenya
Khalid Boulami
 Morocco
2000 Sydney
details
Million Wolde
 Ethiopia
Ali Saïdi-Sief
 Algeria
Brahim Lahlafi
 Morocco
2004 Athens
details
Hicham El Guerrouj
 Morocco
Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
Eliud Kipchoge
 Kenya
2008 Beijing
details
Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
Eliud Kipchoge
 Kenya
Edwin Soi
 Kenya
2012 London
details
Mo Farah
 Great Britain
Dejen Gebremeskel
 Ethiopia
Thomas Longosiwa
 Kenya
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Mo Farah
 Great Britain
Paul Chelimo
 United States
Hagos Gebrhiwet
 Ethiopia
2020 Tokyo
details
Joshua Cheptegei
 Uganda
Mohammed Ahmed
 Canada
Paul Chelimo
 United States
2024 Paris
details
Jakob Ingebrigtsen
 Norway
Ronald Kwemoi
 Kenya
Grant Fisher
 United States

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Mohamed Farah  Great Britain (GBR) 2012–2016 2 0 0 2
2 Lasse Virén  Finland (FIN) 1972–1976 2 0 0 2
3 Paavo Nurmi  Finland (FIN) 1920–1928 1 2 0 3
4 Ville Ritola  Finland (FIN) 1924–1928 1 1 0 2
5 Lauri Lehtinen  Finland (FIN) 1932–1936 1 1 0 2
6 Emil Zátopek  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1948–1952 1 1 0 2
7 Mohammed Gammoudi  Tunisia (TUN) 1968–1972 1 1 0 2
8 Dieter Baumann  Germany (GER) 1988–1992 1 1 0 2
9 Kenenisa Bekele  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2008 1 1 0 2
10 Paul Bitok  Kenya (KEN) 1992–1996 0 2 0 2
11 Eliud Kipchoge  Kenya (KEN) 2004–2008 0 1 1 2
12 Edvin Wide  Sweden (SWE) 1924–1928 0 0 2 2

Medals by country

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Map of countries' best results – Men's 5000 metres
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Finland (FIN) 6 5 2 13
2  Ethiopia (ETH) 3 2 2 7
3  Great Britain (GBR) 2 1 3 6
4  Morocco (MAR) 2 0 2 4
5  Kenya (KEN) 1 5 4 10
6  United States (USA) 1 2 3 6
7  Germany (GER)[nb] 1 2 1 4
8  France (FRA) 1 2 0 3
9=  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1 1 0 2
9=  New Zealand (NZL) 1 1 0 2
9=  Tunisia (TUN) 1 1 0 2
12=  Belgium (BEL) 1 0 0 1
12=  Burundi (BDI) 1 0 0 1
12=  Soviet Union (URS) 1 0 0 1
12=  Uganda (UGA) 1 0 0 1
12= Norway (NOR) 1 0 0 1
17  West Germany (FRG) 0 1 1 2
18=  Algeria (ALG) 0 1 0 1
18=  Canada (CAN) 0 1 0 1
18=  Switzerland (SUI) 0 1 0 1
18=  Tanzania (TAN) 0 1 0 1
22  Sweden (SWE) 0 0 4 4
23=  East Germany (GDR) 0 0 1 1
23=  Netherlands (NED) 0 0 1 1
23=  Poland (POL) 0 0 1 1
23=  Portugal (POR) 0 0 1 1

Women's 3000 metres

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1984 Los Angeles
details
Maricica Puică
 Romania
Wendy Smith-Sly
 Great Britain
Lynn Williams
 Canada
1988 Seoul
details
Tetyana Samolenko
 Soviet Union
Paula Ivan
 Romania
Yvonne Murray
 Great Britain
1992 Barcelona
details
Yelena Romanova
 Unified Team
Tetyana Dorovskikh
 Unified Team
Angela Chalmers
 Canada

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Tetyana Dorovskikh  Soviet Union (URS)
 Unified Team (EUN)
1988–1992 1 1 0 2

Medalists by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1=  Romania (ROU) 1 1 0 2
1=  Unified Team (EUN) 1 1 0 2
3  Soviet Union (URS) 1 0 0 1
4  Great Britain (GBR) 0 1 1 2
5  Canada (CAN) 0 0 2 2

Women's 5000 metres

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1996 Atlanta
details
Wang Junxia
 China
Pauline Konga
 Kenya
Roberta Brunet
 Italy
2000 Sydney
details
Gabriela Szabo
 Romania
Sonia O'Sullivan
 Ireland
Gete Wami
 Ethiopia
2004 Athens
details
Meseret Defar
 Ethiopia
Isabella Ochichi
 Kenya
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
2008 Beijing
details
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
Meseret Defar
 Ethiopia
Sylvia Kibet
 Kenya
2012 London
details
Meseret Defar
 Ethiopia
Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
Hellen Obiri
 Kenya
Almaz Ayana
 Ethiopia
2020 Tokyo
details
Sifan Hassan
 Netherlands
Hellen Obiri
 Kenya
Gudaf Tsegay
 Ethiopia
2024 Paris
details
Beatrice Chebet
 Kenya
Faith Kipyegon
 Kenya
Sifan Hassan
 Netherlands

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Meseret Defar  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2012 2 1 0 3
2 Tirunesh Dibaba  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2012 1 0 2 3
3 Vivian Cheruiyot  Kenya (KEN) 2012–2016 1 1 0 2
4 Hellen Obiri  Kenya (KEN) 2016–2020 0 2 0 2

Medalists by country

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Map of countries' best results – Women's 5000 metres
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Ethiopia (ETH) 3 1 5 9
2  Kenya (KEN) 2 6 1 9
3  Netherlands (NED) 1 0 1 2
4=  China (CHN) 1 0 0 1
4=  Romania (ROU) 1 0 0 1
6  Ireland (IRL) 0 1 0 1
7  Italy (ITA) 0 0 1 1

References

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Participation and athlete data
Olympic record progressions
Specific
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