Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 5000 metres explained

The Women's 5000 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics programme was held at Stadium Australia on Friday 22 September, and Sunday 25 September 2000. The top four runners in each of the initial three heats automatically qualified for the final. The next three fastest runners from across the heats also qualified. There were a total number of 50 participating athletes.^[1]

The winning margin was 0.23 seconds which as of 2023 is the only time the women's 5,000 metres has been won by less than 0.4 seconds at the Olympics.

Records

World Record	14:28.09	Jiang Bo	China	Shanghai, China	23 October 1997
Olympic Record	14:59.88	Junxia Wang	China	Atlanta, Georgia, United States	28 July 1996

Results

All times shown are in seconds.

• Q denotes qualification by place in heat.
• q denotes qualification by overall place.
• DNS denotes did not start.
• DNF denotes did not finish.
• DQ denotes disqualification.
• NR denotes national record.
• OR denotes Olympic record.
• WR denotes world record.
• PB denotes personal best.
• SB denotes season best.

Heats

Heat 1 of 3 Date: Friday 22 September 2000
Place		Athlete	Nation	Lane	Time	Qual.	Record
Heat	Overall
1	1	Sonia O'Sullivan		12	15:07.91	Q	SB
2	4	Jo Pavey		6	15:08.82	Q	PB
3	5T	Gete Wami		2	15:08.92	Q
4	7	Lydia Cheromei		8	15:09.32	Q
5	9	Daniela Yordanova		3	15:10.08	q	NR
6	17	Benita Willis		13	15:21:37		PB
7	19	Elva Dryer		9	15:23.99
8	23	Rosemary Ryan		17	15:33.05
9	24	Nora Leticia Rocha		5	15:38.72
10	33	Michiko Shimizu		16	15:48.20
11	36	Dulce María Rodriguez		15	15:54.17
12	39	Yamna Belkacem		11	16:08.49
13	40	Helena Javornik		7	16:09.60
14	42	Elisa Cobañea		14	16:16.58
15	44	Nebiat Habtemariam		4	16:30.41		NR
16	47	Maysa Hussain Matrood		1	17:17.58
		Restituta Joseph		10	DNS

Heat 2 of 3 Date: Friday 22 September 2000
Place		Athlete	Nation	Lane	Time	Qual.	Record
Heat	Overall
1	12	Rose Cheruiyot		7	15:13.18	Q
2	13	Ayelech Worku		4	15:13.26	Q
3	14	Olga Yegorova		10	15:14.34	Q
4	15	Irina Mikitenko		5	15:14.76	Q
5	16			2	15:16.66
6	20			16	15:27:32
7	21	Amy Rudolph		12	15:28.91
8	25	Sonja Stolic		13	15:38.96
9	26	Megumi Tanaka		15	15:39.83
10	27	Marta Dominguez		3	15:45.07
11	30			6	15:46.48
12	31	Samukeliso Moyo		14	15:47.76
13	37	Zhor El Kamch		8	16:02.50
14	38	Anne Cross		1	16:07.18
15	41	Andrea Whitcombe		9	16:15.82
16	43	Maggie Chan Man Yee		11	16:20.43

Heat 3 of 3 Date: Friday 22 September 2000
Place		Athlete	Nation	Lane	Time	Qual.	Record
Heat	Overall
1	2	Gabriela Szabo		14	15:08.36	Q
2	3	Worknesh Kidane		4	15:08.62	Q
3	5T	Tatyana Tomashova		15	15:08.92	Q
4	8	Jeļena Čelnova-Prokopčuka		11	15:09.45	Q
5	10			9	15:11.11	q	PB
6	11			17	15:11:25	q	NR
7	18	Yoshiko Ichikawa		10	15:23.41		SB
8	22	Beatriz Santiago		3	15:31.94
9	28	Kate Anderson-Richardson		1	15:45.34
10	29	Inga Juodeškienė		12	15:46.37
11	32			6	15:47.78
12	34	Ebru Kavaklioglu		16	15:49.15
13	35	Breda Dennehy-Willis		8	15:49.58
14	45	Diane Nukuri		2	16:38.30		PB
15	46	Catherine Chikwakwa		5	16:39.82		PB
16	48	Priscilla Mamba		7	17:30.04		NR
17	49	Baatarkhüügiin Battsetseg		13	18:22.98		SB

Overall Results Semi-Finals

Semi-Finals Overall Results
Place	Athlete	Nation	Heat	Lane	Place	Time	Qual.	Record
1	Sonia O'Sullivan		1	12	1	15:07.91	Q	SB
2	Gabriela Szabo		3	14	1	15:08.36	Q
3	Worknesh Kidane		3	4	2	15:08.62	Q
4	Jo Pavey		1	6	2	15:08.82	Q	PB
5	Tatyana Tomashova		3	15	3	15:08.92	Q
Gete Wami		1	2	3	15:08.92	Q
7	Lydia Cheromei		1	8	4	15:09.32	Q
8	Jeļena Čelnova-Prokopčuka		3	11	4	15:09.45	Q
9	Daniela Yordanova		1	3	5	15:10.08	q	NR
10			3	9	5	15:11.11	q	PB
11	Olivera Jevtić		3	17	6	15:11.25	q	NR
12	Rose Cheruiyot		2	7	1	15:13.18	Q
13	Ayelech Worku		2	4	2	15:13.26	Q
14	Olga Yegorova		2	10	3	15:14.34	Q
15	Irina Mikitenko		2	5	4	15:14.76	Q
16			2	2	5	15:16.66
17	Benita Willis		1	13	6	15:21.37		PB
18	Yoshiko Ichikawa		3	10	7	15:23.31		SB
19	Elva Dryer		1	9	7	15:23.99
20			2	1	6	15:27.32
21	Amy Rudolph		2	12	7	15:28.91
22	Beatriz Santiago		3	3	8	15:31.94
23	Rosemary Ryan		1	17	8	15:33.05
24	Nora Leticia Rocha		1	5	9	15:38.72
25	Sonja Stolic		2	13	8	15:38.96
26	Megumi Tanaka		2	15	9	15:39.83
27	Marta Dominguez		2	3	10	15:45.07
28	Kate Anderson-Richardson		3	1	9	15:45.34
29	Inga Juodeškienė		3	12	10	15:46.37
30			2	6	11	15:46.48
31	Samukeliso Moyo		2	14	12	15:47.76
32			3	6	11	15:47.78
33	Michiko Shimizu		1	16	10	15:48.20
34	Ebru Kavaklioglu		3	16	12	15:49.15
35	Breda Dennehy-Willis		3	8	13	15:49.58
36	Dulce María Rodriguez		1	15	11	15:54.17
37	Zhor El Kamch		2	8	13	16:02.50
38	Anne Cross		2	1	14	16:07.18
39	Yamna Belkacem		1	11	12	16:08.49
40	Helena Javornik		1	7	13	16:09.60
41	Andrea Whitcombe		2	9	15	16:15.82
42	Elisa Cobañea		1	4	14	16:16.58
43	Maggie Chan Man Yee		2	1	16	16:20.43
44	Nebiat Habtemariam		1	4	15	16:30.41		NR
45	Diane Nukuri		3	2	14	16:38.30		PB
46	Catherine Chikwakwa		3	5	15	16:39.82		PB
47	Maysa Hussein Matrood		1	1	16	17:17.58
48	Priscilla Mamba		3	7	16	17:30.04		NR
49	Baatarkhuu Battsetseg		3	13	17	18:22.98		SB
	Restituta Joseph		1	10		DNS

Final

Date: Monday 25 September 2000
Place	Athlete	Nation	Lane	Time	Record
	Gabriela Szabo		10	14:40.79	OR
	Sonia O'Sullivan		7	14:41.02	NR
	Gete Wami		11	14:42.23
4	Ayelech Worku		14	14:42.67
5	Irina Mikitenko		1	14:43.59	SB
6	Lydia Cheromei		15	14:47.35	PB
7	Werknesh Kidane		2	14:47.40	PB
8	Olga Yegorova		12	14:50.31
9	Jeļena Čelnova-Prokopčuka		6	14:55.46
10	Daniela Yordanova		5	14:56.95	NR
11	Rose Cheruiyot		13	14:58.07
12	Jo Pavey		3	14:58.27	PB
13	Tatyana Tomashova		4	15:01.28
14			8	15:25.67
	Olivera Jevtić		9	DNF

External links

• Official Report
• Official Report of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics

Notes and References

1. Web site: Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Games: Women's 5000 metres . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417175552/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2000/ATH/womens-5000-metres.html . dead . 17 April 2020 . 12 November 2017 . sports-reference.com.