Tokyo Olympics: Hellen Obiri Settles for Silver After Finishing Second in 5000m

Tokyo Olympics: Hellen Obiri Settles for Silver After Finishing Second in 5000m

Fred Kennedy
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:50 PM
  • Sifan Hassan made amends to her 1500m disappointment to win the 5000m race ahead of Hellen Obiri
  • Obiri was hoping to finally secure her first Olympics gold medal having previously settled for silver during the Rio Games
  • Agnes Tirop, who was the other Kenyan competing in the 5000m race narrowly missed out on the bronze medal as she finished fourth

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Kenyan long-distance runner Hellen Obiri had to settle for silver after finishing second in the women's 5000m finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Kenya's Hellen Obiri celebrates her second place in the women's 5000m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 2, 2021. (Photo by ALEKSANDRA SZMIGIEL / POOL / AFP).
Obiri was hoping to finally secure her first Olympics gold medal having previously settled for silver during the Rio Games. Photo by ALEKSANDRA SZMIGIEL.
Source: Getty Images

Obiri clocked 14.38.36 to finish behind Netherland's Sifan Hassan who won gold, with Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay settling for bronze to complete the top three podium.

Lillian Kasait and Agnes Tirop who were the other two Kenyans taking part in the competition finished 12th and fourth respectively.

Obiri, a double women's 5,000m world champion was looking to secure her first Olympics gold medal during the Tokyo editions, having previously won a silver in Rio in 2016.

Reacting to her second-place finish, Obiri insisted she was contented with a silver medal, divulging she was not 100 per cent fit for the race as she was in 2020 before the Summer Games were postponed.

"To be number 2, it is quite amazing because it is a big achievement. The race was slow, nobody wanted to go in front," BBC quoted her saying.
"I am so happy because I didn't expect the Olympics to happen because of the pandemic. Last year I was in very good shape, but this year I was 80%," she revealed.

Incidentally, Hassan, who bagged the gold medal fell in her 1,500m heat earlier on.

However, she proved she had so much to offer during the Monday race as she sprinted to finish over the last 200 metres to win ahead of Obiri.

Kigen wins Kenya's first medal

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported Kenya has finally won her first medal in the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympics after Benjamin Kigen scooping a bronze medal on Monday, August 2.

Kigen won the medal after he clocked 8.11.45 to finish third in the final of men's 3000m steeplechase.

Kenya lined up two athletes in the event, with Kigen being joined by compatriot Abraham Kibiwott, both of whom made it to the final of the competition.

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Fred Kennedy
Editor - Europe Team
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