Hellen Obiri Misses Out On 5,000m Gold

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri missed out on 5,000m gold in agonising fashion as he was overtaken by Netherlands Sifan Hassan on the homestretch.

A gutsy run saw Obiri become the second Kenyan to win a medal in Tokyo Olympics after Benjamin Kigen won a Bronze in Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase on Monday night.

Reigning world champion over the distance, Obiri attempted to keep pace with the dominant Dutch but fizzled out in the latter stages of the race as Hassan strolled to the finish line.

It had looked like being gold and not silver as the 31-year-old stormed to the front with less than two laps remaining of a thrilling 12-lap race.

Obiri kept pace with the leaders throughout and looked comfortable as she kicked for home with around 600 metres left.

But Hassan slowly clawed back Obiri’s healthy advantage and overtook the Kenyan as they entered the home straight to win in a time of 14minutes 36.79 seconds, with Obiri just 2.43secs behind.

Ethiopia’s Tsegay Gudaf claimed bronze while Agnes Tirop from Kenya came home fourth in a time of 14:39.62.

Tirop had kept close with her compatriots Obiri with Lilian Kasait also forming part of the leading pack in the initial laps.She fell part in the final lap and was contented with a fourth with Kasait finishing a distant 12^th position.

Obiri will now shift focus on the 10,000m final in her quest for Gold where she is expected to battle again with Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan.