Faith Kipyegon of Kenya (right) clashes with Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia during the Women's 5000m Final at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 05, 2024.
On Monday night at Stade de France, the world was treated to high drama in the women’s 5,000m final.
In the closing stages of the race, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay and the two-time Olympics 1,500m champion, Faith Kipyegon of Kipyegon, jostled for track space with Kipyegon appearing to fight to stay on the track as the two athletes tugged at each other.
Kipyegon managed to sprint to the front, but eventually finished second to her compatriot Beatrice Chebet. However, Kipyegon was initially disqualified for jostling.
Kenyan officials made an appeal and the silver medal was later reinstated to Kipyegon.
So who is this Gudaf Tsegay?
She is the current world record holder in the 5,000m timing 14:00.21 at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in the USA, having broken Kipyegon’s time of 14:05.20 set three months before at the 2023 Paris Diamond League.
The rivalry between the two has been growing in recent years.
Kipyegon boasts of the 1,500m world record in a race that Tsegay is also pretty dominant in.
Tsegay is competing in her third Olympic Games since her debut at the 2016 Rio Games, where she failed to get out of the heats in the women’s 800m.
She would line up for the 5,000m at the Tokyo Games in 2021, securing the bronze medal in a race won by Dutch’s Sifan Hassan with Kenya’s Hellen Obiri bagging silver.
She is also the reigning 10,000m world champion. But that race in Budapest had its dramatic moments when Tsegay appeared to clip Sifan Hassan, who was leading, sending the Dutch woman to the ground with 20 metres to go.
Tsegey led her compatriots Letesenbet Gidey and Ejgayehu Taye in a clean sweep. Tsegay then finished 13th in the 5,000m as her attempts at a double gold came a cropper.
Tsegay attempted to break the women’s 10,000m world record that was held by her compatriot Gidey at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in Oregon, USA in May, but it was Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet who stole the show.
Chebet stopped the clock with a new world record of 28:54.4 becoming the first woman to run under 28 minutes in the 10,000m.
Tsegay and Kipyegon are on course to clash again in Paris in the women’s 1,500m after both advanced to the semis.
