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TOKYO 2020: Obiri to lead Tirop and Kasait in 5000m final
Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 02.08.21. | 11:05
Obiri out to bag her first Olympic gold medal
Decorated World champion Hellen Obiri will lead the duo of Lilian Kasait and Agnes Tirop in hunt of medals in the 5000m Olympics final at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan from 3:40 PM EAT.
Obiri the pre-race favorite will be seeking her first Olympic gold medal, the only missing gong in her career after scooping silver over the distance five years ago in Rio.
Ranked number one in the world, the Kenya Defence Forces athlete boasts of having global honors both on the track and on the road, World Cross Country and World Relays.
She is expected to guide Tirop a multiple World 10000m bronze medalist and Kasait, a 2017 World Cross Country bronze medalist in defending the gold medal won by Vivian Cheruiyot five years ago from the other competitors. Cheruiyot has since retired from the track and scaled to road running.
Here's Tomorrow's schedule #TeamKenya 👇
— TeamKenya (@OlympicsKe) August 1, 2021
We have two finals lined up don't miss out on any😉#YouAreTheReason pic.twitter.com/xnWWcPH4GR
Kasait who outsprinted Obiri who is making her third appearance in the Olympics during the trials held at Kasarani Stadium finished fifth in the semis while Tirop was second behind Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan.
The latter who is chasing a treble head into the race having booked a ticket to the 1500m semis this morning in a spectacular fashion. The former 10000m record holder went down within the 300m territory after running into Edinah Jebotok’s spikes but sprung up to beat the rest.
Follow my #Tokyo2020 Olympic journey. 5000m final on Monday 2 August, 10,000m final on Saturday 7th August. @ Tokyo Olympic Stadium https://t.co/v0Tk5F4AVh
— Hellen Obiri (@hellen_obiri) August 1, 2021
World 1500m bronze medalist Tsegay Gudaf from Ethiopia, who beat Obiri in the semis, will also offer the Kenyan girls competition so is Kenyan born Turkish Can Yasemin who is ranked 16th globally. Gudaf who will be seeking to spoil the Kenyan party will have her compatriots Teferi Senbere and Taye Ejgayehu who finished third and fourth respectively during the semis.











