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3. Olympic Games (Athletics) - Events

Olympic Events in Athletics - 10000 metres

10000 metres

 

The 10,000 metres at the Summer Olympics is the longest track running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's 10,000 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1912. The women's event was added to the programme over seventy years later, at the 1988 Olympics. It is the most prestigious 10,000 m race at elite level. The competition format is a straight final between around 30 athletes, although prior to 2004 a qualifying round was held.

The Olympic records for the event were both set by Ethiopians at the 2008 Beijing Olympics: Kenenisa Bekele set the men's record at 27:01.17 minutes, while Tirunesh Dibaba set the women's mark at 29:54.66 minutes. The 10,000 metres world record has been broken at the Olympics on only one occasion; Lasse Virén's winning time of 27:38.35 minutes in 1972 stood as the record for less than a year.[1]

Five men have won the Olympic title twice: Paavo Nurmi became the first in 1928 and he was followed by Emil Zátopek, Lasse Virén, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele. Two women have achieved the feat: Derartu Tulu won her second title in 2004 and Tirunesh Dibaba had back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2012. Derartu Tulu is the only athlete to have reached the podium on three occasions. Historically, athletes in this event have also had success in the 5000 metres at the Olympics. The winner of the men's Olympic 10,000 m has completed a long-distance track double on eight occasions, the most recent being Mo Farah at the 2012 London Olympics. Tirunesh Dibaba is the only woman to complete this double, having done so at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Ethiopia is the most successful nation in the event, with nine gold medals among its total of 21. Finland is the next most successful, with six gold medals and thirteen overall. Finland's period of great success in early 20th century led to wide usage of the nickname the Flying Finns; Kaarlo Maaninka was the last Finnish athlete to medal over 10,000 m, in 1980. Kenya has won nine medals, although Naftali Temu is the only Kenyan to have won Olympic gold.

 
Women's 10,000 metres.jpg
The 2012 Olympic women's 10,000 m final
Overview
Sport Athletics
Gender Men and women
Years held Men: 1912 – 2016
Women: 1988 – 2016
Olympic record
Men 27:01.17 Kenenisa Bekele (2008)
Women 29:17.45 Almaz Ayana (2016)
Reigning champion
Men  Mo Farah (GBR)
Women  Almaz Ayana (ETH)
 It was not the first long-distance track event to feature at an Olympic competition: 5-mile (8 km) races featured at the 1906 Intercalated Games and the 1908 Summer Olympics before the metric 5000 metres and 10,000 m events were initiated.

History, Records and Statistics of Men's 10000 metres

History, Records and Statistics of Women's 10000 metres

Medal summary

Men

GamesGoldSilverBronze
1912 Stockholm Hannes Kolehmainen
 Finland
Lewis Tewanima
 United States
Albin Stenroos
 Finland
1920 Antwerp Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Joseph Guillemot
 France
James Wilson
 Great Britain
1924 Paris Ville Ritola
 Finland
Edvin Wide
 Sweden
Eero Berg
 Finland
1928 Amsterdam Paavo Nurmi
 Finland
Ville Ritola
 Finland
Edvin Wide
 Sweden
1932 Los Angeles Janusz Kusociński
 Poland
Volmari Iso-Hollo
 Finland
Lasse Virtanen
 Finland
1936 Berlin Ilmari Salminen
 Finland
Arvo Askola
 Finland
Volmari Iso-Hollo
 Finland
1948 London Emil Zátopek
 Czechoslovakia
Alain Mimoun
 France
Bertil Albertsson
 Sweden
1952 Helsinki Emil Zátopek
 Czechoslovakia
Alain Mimoun
 France
Aleksandr Anufriyev
 Soviet Union
1956 Melbourne Vladimir Kuts
 Soviet Union
József Kovács
 Hungary
Al Lawrence
 Australia
1960 Rome Pyotr Bolotnikov
 Soviet Union
Hans Grodotzki
 United Team of Germany
Dave Power
 Australia
1964 Tokyo Billy Mills
 United States
Mohammed Gammoudi
 Tunisia
Ron Clarke
 Australia
1968 Mexico City Naftali Temu
 Kenya
Mamo Wolde
 Ethiopia
Mohammed Gammoudi
 Tunisia
1972 Munich Lasse Virén
 Finland
Emiel Puttemans
 Belgium
Miruts Yifter
 Ethiopia
1976 Montreal Lasse Virén
 Finland
Carlos Lopes
 Portugal
Brendan Foster
 Great Britain
1980 Moscow Miruts Yifter
 Ethiopia
Kaarlo Maaninka
 Finland
Mohamed Kedir
 Ethiopia
1984 Los Angeles Alberto Cova
 Italy
Mike McLeod
 Great Britain
Michael Musyoki
 Kenya
1988 Seoul Brahim Boutayeb
 Morocco
Salvatore Antibo
 Italy
Kipkemboi Kimeli
 Kenya
1992 Barcelona Khalid Skah
 Morocco
Richard Chelimo
 Kenya
Addis Abebe
 Ethiopia
1996 Atlanta Haile Gebrselassie
 Ethiopia
Paul Tergat
 Kenya
Saleh Hissou
 Morocco
2000 Sydney Haile Gebrselassie
 Ethiopia
Paul Tergat
 Kenya
Assefa Mezgebu
 Ethiopia
2004 Athens Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
Sileshi Sihine
 Ethiopia
Zersenay Tadese
 Eritrea
2008 Beijing Kenenisa Bekele
 Ethiopia
Sileshi Sihine
 Ethiopia
Micah Kogo
 Kenya
2012 London Mo Farah
 Great Britain
Galen Rupp
 United States
Tariku Bekele
 Ethiopia
2016 Rio de Janeiro Mo Farah
 Great Britain
Paul Tanui
 Kenya
Tamirat Tola
 Ethiopia

Multiple medalists

RankAthleteNationOlympicsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1= Paavo Nurmi  Finland (FIN) 1920–1928 2 0 0 2
1= Emil Zátopek  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1948–1952 2 0 0 2
1= Lasse Virén  Finland (FIN) 1972–1976 2 0 0 2
1= Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia (ETH) 1996–2000 2 0 0 2
1= Kenenisa Bekele  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2008 2 0 0 2
1= Mo Farah  Great Britain (GBR) 2012–2016 2 0 0 2
7 Ville Ritola  Finland (FIN) 1924–1928 1 1 0 2
8 Miruts Yifter  Ethiopia (ETH) 1972–1980 1 0 1 2
9= Alain Mimoun  France (FRA) 1948–1952 0 2 0 2
9= Paul Tergat  Kenya (KEN) 1996–2000 0 2 0 2
9= Sileshi Sihine  Ethiopia (ETH) 2004–2008 0 2 0 2
12= Edvin Wide  Sweden (SWE) 1924–1928 0 1 1 2
12= Volmari Iso-Hollo  Finland (FIN) 1932–1936 0 1 1 2
12= Mohammed Gammoudi  Tunisia (TUN) 1968–1972 0 1 1 2

Medals by country

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Finland (FIN) 7 4 4 15
2  Ethiopia (ETH) 5 3 6 14
3  Great Britain (GBR) 2 1 2 5
4=  Soviet Union (URS) 2 0 1 3
4=  Morocco (MAR) 2 0 1 3
6  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 2 0 0 2
7  Kenya (KEN) 1 4 3 8
8  United States (USA) 1 2 0 3
9  Italy (ITA) 1 1 0 2
10  Poland (POL) 1 0 0 1
11  France (FRA) 0 3 0 3
12  Sweden (SWE) 0 1 2 3
13  Tunisia (TUN) 0 1 1 2
14=  Hungary (HUN) 0 1 0 1
14=  United Team of Germany (EUA) 0 1 0 1
14=  Belgium (BEL) 0 1 0 1
14=  Portugal (POR) 0 1 0 1
18  Australia (AUS) 0 0 3 3
19  Eritrea (ERI) 0 0 1 1

Women

Women

GamesGoldSilverBronze
1988 Seoul Olga Bondarenko
 Soviet Union
Liz McColgan
 Great Britain
Yelena Zhupiyeva-Vyazova
 Soviet Union
1992 Barcelona Derartu Tulu
 Ethiopia
Elana Meyer
 South Africa
Lynn Jennings
 United States
1996 Atlanta Fernanda Ribeiro
 Portugal
Wang Junxia
 China
Gete Wami
 Ethiopia
2000 Sydney Derartu Tulu
 Ethiopia
Gete Wami
 Ethiopia
Fernanda Ribeiro
 Portugal
2004 Athens Xing Huina
 China
Ejagayehu Dibaba
 Ethiopia
Derartu Tulu
 Ethiopia
2008 Beijing Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
Elvan Abeylegesse
 Turkey
Shalane Flanagan
 United States
2012 London Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia
Sally Kipyego
 Kenya
Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
2016 Rio de Janeiro Almaz Ayana
 Ethiopia
Vivian Cheruiyot
 Kenya
Tirunesh Dibaba
 Ethiopia

Multiple medalists

RankAthleteNationOlympicsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1= Derartu Tulu  Ethiopia (ETH) 1992–2004 2 0 1 3
1= Tirunesh Dibaba  Ethiopia (ETH) 2008–2016 2 0 1 3
3 Fernanda Ribeiro  Portugal (POR) 1996–2000 1 0 1 2
4= Gete Wami  Ethiopia (ETH) 1996–2000 0 1 1 2
4= Vivian Cheruiyot  Kenya (KEN) 2012–2016 0 1 1 2

Medalists by country

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Ethiopia (ETH) 5 2 3 10
2  China (CHN) 1 1 0 2
3=  Soviet Union (URS) 1 0 1 2
3=  Portugal (POR) 1 0 1 2
5  Kenya (KEN) 0 2 1 3
6=  Great Britain (GBR) 0 1 0 1
6=  South Africa (RSA) 0 1 0 1
6=  Turkey (TUR) 0 1 0 1
9  United States (USA) 0 0 2 2

 

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