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The first track finals of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest saw drama we can only hope to expect from the rest of the events.
Ethiopian-born Dutch star Sifan Hassan was pitted against a strong Ethiopian team featuring the equally versatile and world-leading Gudaf Tsegay, and defending champion and world record holder Letesenbet Gidey.
A pedestrian start saw a bunched field move through the halfway mark, as the race began to seemingly play into the hands of the quick finishers. The Kenyan and Ethiopian teams, perhaps wary of Hassan’s closing speed, steadily increased the pace from the six-kilometre mark, swapping leads right up until the final lap.
However, it would appear as though they hadn’t done enough to sap the kick from the 1500m specialists in the field. Gidey took the last-lap bell with Tsegay on her shoulder, while Hassan, who had been trailing at the back for the entire race, moved around the outside and into the lead on the back straight. Tsegay, the only other 1500m specialist besides Hassan, was quick to cover the move, and the two accelerated away from the rest of the field as they entered the home straight.
A sprint for the finish saw Tsegay and Hassan shoulder to shoulder, with Hassan unintentionally elbowing the Ethiopian in the chest twice down the finishing straight. As Tsegay desperately tried to move around the leader with 20m to go she accidentally clipped the heels of the Dutchwoman and sent her tumbling onto the track.
The result was an Ethiopian clean sweep of the medals, with Hassan, seemingly poised for gold, relegated to 11th. Upon finishing, eventual silver medalist Letesenbet Gidey immediately turned and ran back to Hassan, consoling her while blood dripped from Hassan’s legs and arms.
“I am keeping my smile, but it is really hard,” said Hassan in a post-race interview. “I am very disappointed.”
The Dutch athlete now turns her attention to the 1500m and 5000m events.
The newly crowned world champion, Tsegay, also commented on the incident that unfolded in the final stages of the race.
“When Sifan tried to cross my line not far from the finish, I [did not even] pay attention to that. It happens often at different competitions because every one of us always fights for [a] leading position.”
The two athletes will face off once more in Budapest, in the 5000m final that takes place on the penultimate day of the competition.
It was a hot and humid evening in Budapest that played host to Joshua Cheptegei securing a hat-trick of world 10,000m titles. Executing a beautifully disciplined and patient race, the Ugandan once again played his part in extending the drought of the formerly unstoppable Kenyan and Ethiopian teams, each of which had an athlete resigned to the minor medals.
It was Cheptegei’s teammate, Joel Ayeko, who made the first move of the race, putting more than five seconds into the rest of the field after just two laps. Ayeko maintained his lead for a little over three kilometres; however, soon after being caught by the rest of the field stepped off the track and did not finish the race.
His place at the front was filled by two of the Ethiopian favourites: Selemon Barega, the reigning Olympic 10,000m champion, and Berihu Aregawi, who posted the fastest 10,000m time of 2023 back in June. But a few soft attempts from these two to increase the pace did little to trouble Cheptegei, who waited until the final lap to make his move.
Barega, who outsprinted Cheptegei in Tokyo to claim the Olympic title, was the only one within striking distance with 200m to go, but even he couldn’t handle the sudden and relentless wind-up of pace. Breaking free from the rest of the field as he entered the home straight, Cheptegei stormed to victory in 27:51. Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo took advantage of a deflated Barega to out-dip him at the line and claim his first global medal, consigning the Ethiopian to third in the process.
After a year-long battle with knee injuries, Cheptegei expressed how much this victory meant to him in a post-race interview.
“I am very excited and proud that I have succeeded in winning my third world title in a row”.
While he doesn’t race the distance very often, he certainly knows how to get it right when he does. Over the past five years he has only competed in five 10,000m events: the results of which were an Olympic silver, a world record, and three world titles.
Nevertheless, with his marathon debut scheduled for the end of the year, the Ugandan suggested that he may hang up his spikes and instead opt for the marathon at next year’s Olympics.
“This might be my last championships on the track. That’s why this gold medal means even more.”
In the meantime, just as is with the women, Cheptegei and many of his competitors will turn their attention to the 5000m, which will take place on the final day of the championships.