Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won the gold medal in the women’s Olympic 5,000-metres as she sprinted home to claim the title after a textbook performance on Monday.
Chebet won in a time of 14 minutes 28.56 seconds as the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan (14:30.61) claimed silver and Italian Nadia Battocletti took bronze (14:31.64).
Chebet produced a thrilling finish to win the first medal for her country at the Paris Olympics and smiled wide as she crossed the line after an exhausting performance.
The runner-up at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and bronze medallist in Budapest last year, Chebet took the early lead and hung in with Kipyegon through much of the race.
She kept her cool as Kipyegon collided at the start of the penultimate lap with Ethiopian world record holder Gudaf Tsegay, who grimaced but continued, and accelerated from there.
Tokyo champion Hassan was in fifth place heading into the final 400 and dug deep to try to hang onto her Olympic crown but could not match the Kenyans’ speed around the final turn.
Chebet hugged and cheered with Kipyegon as the pair donned Kenyan flags to wild cheers from the packed Stade de France.
It quickly became clear, however, that Kipyegon would not join her on the podium as her name disappeared from the results list and she was later marked disqualified, dissolving the joy.
Hassan stood squinting at a monitor showing the results as Battocletti stood by in a confusing scene minutes after the race. “I’m happy for you guys — for me, I don’t care,” Hassan said.
The Dutchwoman will continue a grueling Paris campaign with the 10,000 and marathon next on her agenda.
Source Agencies
