The women's 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

was held at the Olympic Stadium on 15 August. The Ethiopian team

Ethiopia at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

Ethiopia will compete at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15 to 23 August. A team of 38 athletes was announced in preparation for the competition. Selected athletes have achieved one of the competition's qualifying standards...

 was particularly strong in the event, with two-time World Champion Tirunesh Dibaba

Tirunesh Dibaba

Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current Olympic 5000 metres and 10,000 metres champion...

, 5000 metres

5000 metres

The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...

 World Champion Meseret Defar

Meseret Defar

Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres...

, and African record holder Meselech Melkamu

Meselech Melkamu

Meselech Melkamu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and cross-country events...

 all vying for first place. The 2007 silver medallist Elvan Abeylegesse

Elvan Abeylegesse

Elvan Abeylegesse is an Ethiopian-born Turkish middle and long distance track and field athlete, running in the disciplines of 1500 m, 3000 m and 5000 m, but also 10000 m, 2 miles and cross country...

, Olympic bronze medallist Shalane Flanagan

Shalane Flanagan

Shalane Flanagan is an American distance runner. She currently holds the American record times in the 3000 m , 5000 m , and 10,000 m...

, and the World Cross Country Champion Florence Kiplagat

Florence Kiplagat

Florence Jebet Kiplagat is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships....

 were other athletes with strong medal possibilities.

The race featured a number of surprises and upsets, beginning with the withdrawal of the defending champion Dibaba due to a leg injury. With seven laps to go, the 2007 medallist Abeylegesse dropped out of the race and a quintet of runners (Linet Masai

Linet Masai

Linet Chepkwemoi Masai is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events...

, Melkamu, Defar, Wude Ayalew and Grace Momanyi

Grace Momanyi

Grace Kwamboka Momanyi is a Kenyan long distance runner of the Kisii tribe.She won the 2000 and 2005 10K races at the Ottawa Marathon, setting a course record in her second victory. In 2006 she moved to Japan to represt local Dauhatsu athletics team, but was mostly out of action due to injuries....

) broke away from the rest of the pack. As the runners approached the finish line, favourites Defar and Melkamu sprinted in front. However, neither could maintain their speed and Melkamu prematurely celebrated victory, only to see Masai take the gold medal with a tactically-timed run. Defar, completely exhausted, eventually finished in fifth as Ayalew and Momanyi took third and fourth, respectively.

Breaking a decade of Ethiopian dominance, nineteen-year-old Masai's gold medal was the first Kenyan victory in the event since the 1997 World Championships

1997 World Championships in Athletics

The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...

, and the country's first 10,000 m medal since 1999.

Medalists

Gold	Silver	Bronze
Linet Masai Linet Masai Linet Chepkwemoi Masai is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events...	Meselech Melkamu Meselech Melkamu Meselech Melkamu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and cross-country events... '	Wude Ayalew '

Records

World record		29:31.78	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	8 September 1993
Championship record		30:04.18	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	23 August 2003
World Leading		29:53.80	Utrecht Utrecht (city) Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features... , Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...	14 June 2009
African record		29:53.80	Utrecht, Netherlands	14 June 2009
Asian record		29:31.78	Beijing, China	8 September 1993
North American record		30:22.22	Beijing, China	15 August 2008
South American record		31:47.76	Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	21 August 1993
European record		29:56.34	Beijing, China	15 August 2008
Oceanian record		30:35.54	Palo Alto Palo Alto, California Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	4 May 2008

Qualification standards

A time	B time
31:45.00	32:20.00

Schedule

Date	Time	Round
August 15, 2009	19:25	Final

Results

Rank	Athlete	Nationality	Time	Notes
	Linet Masai Linet Masai Linet Chepkwemoi Masai is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events...		30:51.24	SB
	Meselech Melkamu Meselech Melkamu Meselech Melkamu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and cross-country events...		30:51.34
	Wude Ayalew		30:51.95
	Grace Momanyi Grace Momanyi Grace Kwamboka Momanyi is a Kenyan long distance runner of the Kisii tribe.She won the 2000 and 2005 10K races at the Ottawa Marathon, setting a course record in her second victory. In 2006 she moved to Japan to represt local Dauhatsu athletics team, but was mostly out of action due to injuries....		30:52.25	PB
	Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres...		30:52.37
	Amy Yoder Begley		31:13.78	PB
	Yurika Nakamura Yurika Nakamura is a Japanese long-distance runner. Nakamura grew up in the Hyōgo Prefecture.She finished seventh at the 2006 World Road Running Championships, helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal in the team competition. In 2008, she won the Nagoya Marathon in her marathon debut. In the 2008 Summer...		31:14.39	PB
	Kimberley Smith		31:21.42	SB
	Kayoko Fukushi Kayoko Fukushi is a Japanese long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. Fukushi represented Japan at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics....		31:23.49	SB
10	Inês Monteiro Inês Monteiro Inês Alexandra das Neves Monteiro is a Portuguese athlete who competes in middle and long distance track running, as well as road running and cross country. She started out as a cross country runner, winning a silver and a gold medal at the 1998 and 1999 European junior race...		31:25.67	PB
11	Mariya Konovalova Mariya Konovalova Mariya Ivanovna Konovalova is a Russian long-distance runner. She has represented Russia in both track running and cross country running and was the silver medallist at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships...		31:26.94
12	Florence Jebet Kiplagat		31:30.85
13	Ana Dulce Félix Ana Dulce Félix Ana Dulce Félix is a long distance runner who competes in track, cross country, and road running events.Born in Azurém, Guimarães Municipality, Portugal, Félix began her career as a junior at the 2000 and 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, although she did not break the top 60 runners on...		31:30.90	PB
14	Shalane Flanagan Shalane Flanagan Shalane Flanagan is an American distance runner. She currently holds the American record times in the 3000 m , 5000 m , and 10,000 m...		31:32.19
15	Kseniya Agafonova Kseniya Agafonova Kseniya Agafonova is a Russian long-distance runner.She finished fifth in 5000 metres at the 2007 World Athletics Final. She was the 2009 winner of the Fukuoka International Cross Country meeting....		31:43.14
16	Ana Dias		31:49.91
17	Katie McGregor Katie McGregor Katie McGregor is an American runner who participates in track, cross country and the marathon.-High school:McGregor attended Willoughby South High School in Willoughby, Ohio...		32:18.49
18	Zhang Yingying Zhang Yingying Zhang Yingying is a Chinese runner. At only 18 years she already qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics to represent China at the 5.000m, 10.000m and the marathon.-Career highlights:Marathons-Personal bests:-External links:* *...		32:33.63	SB
19	Liliya Shobukhova Liliya Shobukhova Liliya Bulatovna Shobukhova is a Russian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. She previously specialized in the 3000 and 5000 metres track events....		32:42.36
20	Yukari Sahaku		33:41.17

} ||align=left| Elvan Abeylegesse

Elvan Abeylegesse

Elvan Abeylegesse is an Ethiopian-born Turkish middle and long distance track and field athlete, running in the disciplines of 1500 m, 3000 m and 5000 m, but also 10000 m, 2 miles and cross country...

 ||align=left| || || DNF
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| ||align=left| Olivera Jevtic

Olivera Jevtic

Olivera Jevtić is a Serbian long-distance runner. She is based in her native city of Užice, Serbia. Jevtić's coach is Slavko Kuzmanović, and she competes for the running club "Mladost"...

 ||align=left| || ||DNS
|}

Key: PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best

Splits

Intermediate	Athlete	Country	Mark
1000m	Yurika Nakamura Yurika Nakamura is a Japanese long-distance runner. Nakamura grew up in the Hyōgo Prefecture.She finished seventh at the 2006 World Road Running Championships, helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal in the team competition. In 2008, she won the Nagoya Marathon in her marathon debut. In the 2008 Summer...		3:08.85
2000m	Mariya Konovalova Mariya Konovalova Mariya Ivanovna Konovalova is a Russian long-distance runner. She has represented Russia in both track running and cross country running and was the silver medallist at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships...		6:17.01
3000m	Liliya Shobukhova Liliya Shobukhova Liliya Bulatovna Shobukhova is a Russian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. She previously specialized in the 3000 and 5000 metres track events....		9:24.89
4000m	Mariya Konovalova Mariya Konovalova Mariya Ivanovna Konovalova is a Russian long-distance runner. She has represented Russia in both track running and cross country running and was the silver medallist at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships...		12:35.29
5000m	Mariya Konovalova Mariya Konovalova Mariya Ivanovna Konovalova is a Russian long-distance runner. She has represented Russia in both track running and cross country running and was the silver medallist at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships...		15:45.19
6000m	Mariya Konovalova Mariya Konovalova Mariya Ivanovna Konovalova is a Russian long-distance runner. She has represented Russia in both track running and cross country running and was the silver medallist at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships...		18:55.45
7000m	Linet Chepkwemoi Masai		22:04.20
8000m	Linet Chepkwemoi Masai		25:00.18
9000m	Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres...		27:58.29