Letesenbet Gidey’s stunning 5000m run in Berlin, fourth-fastest performance all-time

© Copyright – 2023 – Athletics Illustrated

Ethiopian athlete Letesenbet Gidey clocked a stunning 14:08.79 performance at the ISTAF Berlin Meeting on Sunday.

A pair of Kenyan athletes, Winnie Jemutai and Edinah Jebitok, rolled in to take second and third places in the times of 14:56.99 and 15:01.97, respectively.

14:08.79 🔥

🇪🇹's Letesenbet Gidey clocks the 4th fastest 5000m in history at the @ISTAF_Berlin

She now owns 3 out of the 5 fastest 5000m-clockings in history 😮‍💨

📸 @NNRunningTeam pic.twitter.com/yKrby5msVH

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) September 3, 2023

Gidey won the 10,000m silver medal at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships. The 25-year-old did not race the 5000m, perhaps saving her efforts for the ISTAF meet. The world record was previously hers, however, Kenyan Faith Kipyegon ripped it from her hands this summer clocking a 14:05.20 run on June 9th in Paris at the Stade Charléty. Prior to that, Gidey’s record was 14:06.62 set in 2020 in Valencia. She wanted it back.

“The race was good, I felt really good. The pace from Beatrice Chepkoech was perfect. But today it was a little bit windy, so it was very hard at the end. Because of this wind, I could not run a better time,“ said Gidey.

Fellow Ethiopian Abersh Minsewo led through the first kilometre in 2:51.00. Then Beatrice Chepkoech took over the pacing duties. The Kenyan passed 3K in 8:30.16, which was just a little off the world record pace. Gidey then took command. With 1K to go, she was at 11:18:18, which would put her on a 14:08.00 finish trajectory. Gidey’s final lap was done in 70.10 seconds. Close, but not enough.

Gidey now owns the second (14:05.62), third (14:07.94), and fourth-fastest (14:08.79) 5000m times in history. Gidey had improved on Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba’s record of 14:11.15, which she had set in 2008. Since then it has been bettered four times. Ethiopian Meseret Defar set and bettered the world record several times including in New York in 2006 at 14:24.53. Again in 2007 at 14:16.63 in Oslo at the Bislett Games. The following year, she did it again in Stockholm with her 14:12.88 performance.

Gidey also holds the 10,000m world record which she set at 29:01.03 and the half-marathon world record at 1:02:52. Additionally, she holds the 15K world best (not officially kept as a record) at 44:20.

The 5000m record will continue to fall, currently, the next significant benchmark is to break 14 minutes. With Kipyegon at 14:06.62, the difference may be found in the next super shoe, Wavelight display, or perfect conditions with perfect pacing.

Results

Full results from Berlin