# 5000 metres at the World Athletics Championships

The 5000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by men since the inaugural edition in 1983 and by women since 1995. Women competed over 3000 metres from 1980 to 1993, in line with championship standards of the time. It is the shortest long-distance running event at the competition, the 10,000 metres and marathon being the other two such events on the programme. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 5000 metres at the Olympics. The competition format typically has a two-race heats stage that leads directly to a final between fifteen athletes.
The championship records for the event are 12:52.79 minutes for men, set by Eliud Kipchoge in 2003, and 14:26.72 minutes for women, set by Hellen Obiri in 2019. The world record has never been broken or equalled at the competition by either men or women, reflecting the lack of pacemaking and athletes' more tactical approach to championship races. Similarly the women's 3000 metres world record was not improved during its 13-year history. The championship record for that event was set on its last appearance in 1993, by Yunxia Qu with a time of 8:28.71 minutes.
The women's 3000 m was among the first ever IAAF World Championship events as it was one of two designated events at the 1980 World Championships in Athletics (alongside women's 400 metres hurdles), which was held after the International Olympic Committee refused to add the women's event to the Olympic programme that year.
Mo Farah of Great Britain is the only athlete to win this title three times, between 2011 and 2015. Meseret Defar is the most successful female athlete of the event, having won two world championship titles and reached the medal podium five times consecutively from 2005 to 2013. Vivian Cheruiyot is the next most successful with two golds and one silver. Six other athletes have won the 5000 m championship twice: Ismael Kirui, Muktar Edris and Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the men's side, and Gabriela Szabo, Tirunesh Dibaba and Hellen Obiri on the women's side. Tatyana Dorovskikh was also a double champion in the women's 3000 m, and the only woman to win multiple medals over that distance.
Kenya is the most successful nation in the discipline, with seven wins in the men's distance and five in the women's, and has the highest medal total at 30. Ethiopia is the next best performer with six women's titles, three men's titles and 30 medals overall. Morocco, Great Britain, Romania, Ireland and Norway are the other nations to have won multiple gold medals in the 5000 m. The Soviet Union won the most 3000 m medals during its run, with two titles and four medals. China produced a medal sweep in 1993. Eamonn Coghlan and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are the only non-African-born men to win the 5000 m.

## Age

* All information from World Athletics.
| Distinction | Male | Male | Male | Female | Female | Female |
| Distinction | Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date |
| Youngest champion | Ismael Kirui (KEN) | 18 years, 177 days | 16 Aug 1993 | Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) | 17 years, 333 days | 30 Aug 2003 |
| Youngest medalist | Ismael Kirui (KEN) | 18 years, 177 days | 16 Aug 1993 | Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) | 17 years, 333 days | 30 Aug 2003 |
| Youngest finalist | Selemon Barega (ETH) | 17 years, 204 days | 12 Aug 2017 | Sally Barsosio (KEN) | 17 years, 144 days | 12 Aug 1995 |
| Youngest participant | Abdullah Al-Qwabani (YEM) | 16 years, 177 days | 26 Aug 2015 | Wisam El-Bekheet (PLE) | 14 years, 281 days | 9 Aug 2001 |
| Oldest champion | Bernard Lagat (USA) | 32 years, 264 days | 2 Sep 2007 | Hellen Obiri (KEN) | 29 years, 296 days | 5 Oct 2019 |
| Oldest medalist | Bernard Lagat (USA) | 36 years, 266 days | 4 Sep 2011 | Edith Masai (KEN) | 36 years, 148 days | 30 Aug 2003 |
| Oldest finalist | Bernard Lagat (USA) | 38 years, 247 days | 16 Aug 2013 | Teresa Récio (ESP) | 38 years, 35 days | 11 Aug 2001 |
| Oldest participant | Bernard Lagat (USA) | 38 years, 247 days | 16 Aug 2013 | Nora Rocha (MEX) | 39 years, 254 days | 29 Aug 2007 |

## Doping

The World Championship 5000 metres was unaffected by doping until the 2001, when men's silver medallist Ali Saïdi-Sief of Algeria failed his post-race urine test due to nandrolone traces. He was stripped of his medal. Only one other competitor has been disqualified from the 5000 m for doping: Turkey's Alemitu Bekele Degfa, whose unsuccessful run in the heats in 2011 was annulled retrospectively after biological passport irregularities.
Among those failing tests outside the competition was 1983 men's bronze medallist Martti Vainio, who admitted to using testosterone supplements and failed a test for steroids in 1984. Marta Domínguez, the women's runner-up in 2001 and 2003, was banned later in her career for abnormalities in her biological passport readings. Additionally, 2023 silver medalist Mohamed Katir was suspended in February 2024 for whereabouts failures.
In the women's 3000 m, no athletes were banned during World Championships competition but 1983 medallist Tatyana Kazankina ended her career in 1984 by refusing a drug test, while the 1987 and 1991 world champion for the distance Tetyana Dorovskikh also ended her career with a drugs ban in 1993. The 1983 women's champion Mary Decker was another banned for doping later in her career.

## Medalists
### Men

| Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1983 Helsinki details | Eamonn Coghlan (IRL) | Werner Schildhauer (GDR) | Martti Vainio (FIN) |
| 1987 Rome details | Saïd Aouita (MAR) | Domingos Castro (POR) | Jack Buckner (GBR) |
| 1991 Tokyo details | Yobes Ondieki (KEN) | Fita Bayisa (ETH) | Brahim Boutayeb (MAR) |
| 1993 Stuttgart details | Ismael Kirui (KEN) | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | Fita Bayisa (ETH) |
| 1995 Gothenburg details | Ismael Kirui (KEN) | Khalid Boulami (MAR) | Shem Kororia (KEN) |
| 1997 Athens details | Daniel Komen (KEN) | Khalid Boulami (MAR) | Tom Nyariki (KEN) |
| 1999 Seville details | Salah Hissou (MAR) | Benjamin Limo (KEN) | Mohammed Mourhit (BEL) |
| 2001 Edmonton details | Richard Limo (KEN) | Million Wolde (ETH) | John Kibowen (KEN) |
| 2003 Saint-Denis details | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) | Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) |
| 2005 Helsinki details | Benjamin Limo (KEN) | Sileshi Sihine (ETH) | Craig Mottram (AUS) |
| 2007 Osaka details | Bernard Lagat (USA) | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | Moses Kipsiro (UGA) |
| 2009 Berlin details | Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) | Bernard Lagat (USA) | James Kwalia (QAT) |
| 2011 Daegu details | Mo Farah (GBR) | Bernard Lagat (USA) | Dejen Gebremeskel (ETH) |
| 2013 Moscow details | Mo Farah (GBR) | Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) | Isiah Koech (KEN) |
| 2015 Beijing details | Mo Farah (GBR) | Caleb Ndiku (KEN) | Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) |
| 2017 London details | Muktar Edris (ETH) | Mo Farah (GBR) | Paul Chelimo (USA) |
| 2019 Doha details | Muktar Edris (ETH) | Selemon Barega (ETH) | Mohammed Ahmed (CAN) |
| 2022 Eugene details | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) | Jacob Krop (KEN) | Oscar Chelimo (UGA) |
| 2023 Budapest details | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) | Mohamed Katir (ESP) | Jacob Krop (KEN) |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Mo Farah | Great Britain (GBR) | 2011–2015 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Ismael Kirui | Kenya (KEN) | 1993–1995 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Muktar Edris | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2017–2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen | Norway (NOR) | 2022-2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Bernard Lagat | United States (USA) | 2007–2011 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Benjamin Limo | Kenya (KEN) | 2003–2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia (ETH) | 1999–2005 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Khalid Boulami | Morocco (MAR) | 1995–1997 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Fita Bayisa | Ethiopia (ETH) | 1991–1993 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Hagos Gebrhiwet | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2013-2015 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Jacob Krop | Kenya (KEN) | 2022-2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |

#### Medalists by country

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Kenya (KEN) | 7 | 4 | 5 | 16 |
| 2 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 3 | 6 | 4 | 13 |
| 3 | Great Britain (GBR) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Morocco (MAR) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Norway (NOR) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | United States (USA) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Ireland (IRL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Portugal (POR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Spain (ESP) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Uganda (UGA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Finland (FIN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

### Women's 5000 metres

| Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1995 Gothenburg details | Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) | Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) | Zahra Ouaziz (MAR) |
| 1997 Athens details | Gabriela Szabo (ROU) | Roberta Brunet (ITA) | Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) |
| 1999 Seville details | Gabriela Szabo (ROU) | Zahra Ouaziz (MAR) | Ayelech Worku (ETH) |
| 2001 Edmonton details | Olga Yegorova (RUS) | Marta Dominguez (ESP) | Ayelech Worku (ETH) |
| 2003 Saint-Denis details | Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) | Marta Dominguez (ESP) | Edith Masai (KEN) |
| 2005 Helsinki details | Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) | Meseret Defar (ETH) | Ejegayehu Dibaba (ETH) |
| 2007 Osaka details | Meseret Defar (ETH) | Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) | Priscah Jepleting Cherono (KEN) |
| 2009 Berlin details | Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) | Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet (KEN) | Meseret Defar (ETH) |
| 2011 Daegu details | Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) | Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet (KEN) | Meseret Defar (ETH) |
| 2013 Moscow details | Meseret Defar (ETH) | Mercy Cherono (KEN) | Almaz Ayana (ETH) |
| 2015 Beijing details | Almaz Ayana (ETH) | Senbere Teferi (ETH) | Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) |
| 2017 London details | Hellen Obiri (KEN) | Almaz Ayana (ETH) | Sifan Hassan (NED) |
| 2019 Doha details | Hellen Obiri (KEN) | Margaret Kipkemboi (KEN) | Konstanze Klosterhalfen (GER) |
| 2022 Eugene details | Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) | Beatrice Chebet (KEN) | Dawit Seyaum (ETH) |
| 2023 Budapest details | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | Sifan Hassan (NED) | Beatrice Chebet (KEN) |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Meseret Defar | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2005–2013 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | Vivian Cheruiyot | Kenya (KEN) | 2007–2011 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya (KEN) | 2017-2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Gabriela Szabo | Romania (ROU) | 1997–1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Tirunesh Dibaba | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2003–2005 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Almaz Ayana | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2013–2017 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Marta Domínguez | Spain (ESP) | 2001–2003 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet | Kenya (KEN) | 2001–2003 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands (NED) | 2017-2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Beatrice Chebet | Kenya (KEN) | 2022-2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Fernanda Ribeiro | Portugal (POR) | 1995–1997 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Zahra Ouaziz | Morocco (MAR) | 1995–1999 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Ayelech Worku | Ethiopia (ETH) | 1999–2001 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

#### Medalists by country

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 6 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
| 2 | Kenya (KEN) | 5 | 6 | 3 | 14 |
| 3 | Romania (ROU) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Ireland (IRL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Russia (RUS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Spain (ESP) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Morocco (MAR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Portugal (POR) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Germany (GER) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

### Women's 3000 metres

| Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1980 Sittard details | Birgit Friedmann (FRG) | Karoline Nemetz (SWE) | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) |
| 1983 Helsinki details | Mary Decker (USA) | Brigitte Kraus (FRG) | Tatyana Kovalenko-Kazankina (URS) |
| 1987 Rome details | Tetyana Samolenko (URS) | Maricica Puică (ROU) | Ulrike Bruns (GDR) |
| 1991 Tokyo details | Tetyana Dorovskikh (URS) | Yelena Romanova (URS) | Susan Sirma (KEN) |
| 1993 Stuttgart details | Qu Yunxia (CHN) | Zhang Linli (CHN) | Zhang Lirong (CHN) |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Tatyana Dorovskikh | Soviet Union (URS) | 1987–1991 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |

#### Medalists by country

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Soviet Union (URS) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | China (CHN) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | West Germany (FRG) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | United States (USA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Romania (ROU) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Kenya (KEN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Norway (NOR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

## Finishing times

Top ten fastest world championships times (5000 metres)
Fastest men's times at the World Championships :
| Rank | Time (sec) | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 12:52.79 | Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya | 2003 | 2003-08-31 |
| 2 | 12:52.83 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco | 2003 | 2003-08-31 |
| 3 | 12:53.12 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 2003 | 2003-08-31 |
| 4 | 12:54.07 | John Kibowen | Kenya | 2003 | 2003-08-31 |
| 5 | 12:57.74 | Abraham Chebii | Kenya | 2003 | 2003-08-31 |
| 6 | 12:58.08 | Gebregziabher Gebremariam | Ethiopia | 2003 | 2003-08-31 |
| 7 | 12:58.13 | Salah Hissou | Morocco | 1999 | 1999-08-28 |
| 8 | 12:58.72 | Benjamin Limo | Kenya | 1999 | 1999-08-28 |
| 9 | 12:58.80 | Mohammed Mourhit | Belgium | 1999 | 1999-08-28 |
| 10 | 12:58.85 | Muktar Edris | Ethiopia | 2019 | 2003-09-30 |
Fastest women's times at the World Championships :
| Rank | Time (sec) | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 14:26.72 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya | 2019 | 2019-10-05 |
| 2 | 14:26.84 | Almaz Ayana | Ethiopia | 2015 | 2015-08-30 |
| 3 | 14:27.49 | Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi | Kenya | 2019 | 2019-10-05 |
| 4 | 14:28.43 | Konstanze Klosterhalfen | Germany | 2019 | 2019-10-05 |
| 5 | 14:29.60 | Tsehay Gemechu | Ethiopia | 2019 | 2019-10-05 |
| 6 | 14:32.29 | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands | 2023$^H$ | 2023-08-26 |
| 7 | 14:32.31 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 2023$^H$ | 2023-08-26 |
| 8 | 14:33.23 | Ejgayehu Taye | Ethiopia | 2023$^H$ | 2023-08-26 |
| 9 | 14:34.16 | Freweyni Hailu | Ethiopia | 2023$^H$ | 2023-08-26 |
| 10 | 14:34.86 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya | 2017 | 2017-08-13 |

## Championship record progression
### Men

Men's 5000 metres World Championships record progression :
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
| 13:43.36 | Markus Ryffel | Switzerland (SUI) | 1983 | First round | 10 August |
| 13:32.34 | Markus Ryffel | Switzerland (SUI) | 1983 | Semi-final | 12 August |
| 13:31.40 | Dmitriy Dmitriyev | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Semi-final | 12 August |
| 13:28.53 | Eamon Coghlan | Ireland (IRL) | 1983 | Final | 14 August |
| 13:22.68 | John Ngugi | Kenya (KEN) | 1987 | Heats | 4 September |
| 13:14.45 | Yobes Ondieki | Kenya (KEN) | 1991 | Final | 1 September |
| 13:02.75 | Ismael Kirui | Kenya (KEN) | 1993 | Final | 16 August |
| 12:58.12 | Salah Hissou | Morocco (MAR) | 1999 | Final | 28 August |
| 12:52.79 | Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya (KEN) | 2003 | Final | 31 August |

### Women 5000 metres

Women's 5000 metres World Championships record progression :
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
| 15:36.39 | Elena Fidatov | Romania (ROU) | 1995 | Heats | 10 August |
| 15:13.88 | Sonia O'Sullivan | Ireland (IRL) | 1995 | Heats | 10 August |
| 14:46.47 | Sonia O'Sullivan | Ireland (IRL) | 1995 | Final | 10 August |
| 14:41.82 | Gabriela Szabo | Romania (ROU) | 1999 | Final | 27 August |
| 14:38.59 | Tirunesh Dibaba | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2005 | Final | 13 August |
| 14:26.83 | Almaz Ayana | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2015 | Final | 30 August |
| 14:26.72 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya (KEN) | 2019 | Final | 5 October |

### Women 3000 metres

Women's 3000 metres World Championships record progression :
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
| 9:04.7 | Aurora Cunha | Portugal (POR) | 1980 | Heats | 14 August |
| 9:04.7 | Birgit Friedmann | West Germany (FRG) | 1980 | Heats | 14 August |
| 8:48.05 | Birgit Friedmann | West Germany (FRG) | 1980 | Heats | 14 August |
| 8:46.65 | Svetlana Ulmasova | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Heats | 8 August |
| 8:44.72 | Tatyana Kazankina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1983 | Heats | 8 August |
| 8:34.62 | Mary Decker | United States (USA) | 1983 | Final | 8 August |
| 8:28.71 | Qu Yunxia | China (CHN) | 1993 | Final | 16 August |