Olympics in Paris 2024: Star drama in the 5000 metres

– I am very happy that I took the lead. I’m not here to run a trick race, said Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal after the 5,000 metres. At the time, she had just run to 7th place in the Olympic final in the 5000 metres. – We must pay tribute to Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal for her efforts. She belongs to the top ten in the world in long-distance running and delivers on the most important day of the year, says news commentator Jann Post. Took the lead It was very calm from the start, and after 1000 metres, Grøvdal chose to go up to the lead. The speed increased to a pace that suits Grøvdal’s capacity well. – Why not just do it that way? She is not going to hang with the best in a sprint or a hard drive in the last 1,000 metres, said news expert Vebjørn Rodal. She stayed in the lead for a long time, in a very strong field. – It is a wonderful experience to see Karoline rope some of the best long-distance runners of all time, said Rodal. Grøvdal was stuck in traffic for two kilometres. Then a group of Ethiopians came up and took over the lead. Grøvdal lay further back in the field. The speed continued to increase lap by lap, and a kilometer before the finish, a group of the favorites got a gap to Grøvdal. Beatrice Chebet of Kenya won the sprint after a duel with Faith Kipyegon. Dutch Sifan Hassan, who was aiming for three medals in the Olympics, finished third. Grøvdal kept the pressure up. A few meters behind the winners, she sprinted well, and among other things ran past the big favorite and world record holder Gudaf Tsegay. She ran in as number 8 with a time of 14:43,21. A few minutes after the finish line, it became clear that Kipyegon, who was second over the finish line, had been dished. During the race there was a push between Tsegay and Kipyegon. PUSH: Faith Kipyegon and Gudaf Tsegay. Photo: Reuters Grøvdal thus ends up in 7th place. It is the same as she got at the distance in the Olympics in 2016. Made it through to the final Grøvdal has had a fantastic season with gold and silver from the European Championships earlier this summer, and on Friday she safely advanced to the Olympic final in the 5000 metres. – I was very nervous before the start. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this nervous. I felt good from the start and felt that I could lay there and test out different race layouts. I felt this going in, says Grøvdal to news. Grøvdal has a year’s best of 14.38.62. Her personal best is 14.31.07. In an Olympic context, Bjerkeli Grøvdal has a career best of 7th place in the 5000 meters from 2016. Published 05/08/2024, at 21.46 Updated 05.08.2024, at 21.53



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