5,000 metres, Women

Gabriela Szabo (ROM) was the heavy favorite, having won the 1997 and 1999 World Championships, and most major invitationals in the past year. She only lost once at 5,000 since the 1996 Olympics, that coming in the 1998 European Championship when Sonia O’Sullivan (IRL) won that title, until two weeks before the Sydney Olympics. In early September she had been defeated by Leah Malot of Kenya, but she did not make the Kenyan Olympic team. In the final, the Ethiopians Gete Wami and Ayelech Worku set the early pace, with their third teammates, Werknesh Kidane, took the lead at 4K. But in the penultimate lap, Szabo made her move and took the lead, and O’Sullivan moved to her shoulder. For the last 600 metres, it was a battle between these two as Szabo kept holding off O’Sullivan, finally getting a bit of daylight less than 30 metres from the line.