Kenyan trio of Margaret Chelimo , Gloria Kite and Beatrice Chebet all in women's 5000m final, Semenya out

Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, of Kenya, stands on the podium after winning Bronze in the 10,000 meters women's final at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday, July 16, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. AP Photo

Kenyan trio of Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, Gloria Kite and Beatrice Chebet all on Thursday morning qualified for the women's 5000m final at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

In heat one, Ethiopian Gudaf Tsefay won the race in 14:52.64 ahead of compatriot Dawit Seyaum 14:53.06.

Newly crowned world 10,000m champion Letesenbet Gidey won the second heat in 14:52.27 ahead of Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui of Kasakhstan (14:52.54) and defending champion Sifan Hassan (14:52.89).

Kenya’s Gloria Kite earned a ticket to Saturday’s final after finishing sixth in the second heat where she qualified as one of the non-automatic qualifier after timing a season's best of 14:53.62.

Joining Gloria Kite in the final will be Chelimo (14:53.45) and Chebet (14:53.34) who finished third and fourth respectively in the opening Heat.

World Junior Cross Country Champion Beatrice Chebet when she was named the StarTimes Sports Monthly Personality for the Month of March 2019. [Standard Sports] 

Caster Semenya's first appearance in world championships in five years saw the controversy-mired South African fail to qualify for the women's 5,000m finals.

In temperatures that hit 32C, the South African finished 13th out of 16 runners in her heat in a time of 15 mins 46.12 secs, almost a minute behind the winner, Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia.

But she struck an upbeat note afterwards. “I’m cooking,” she told reporters. “It was hot and I could not keep up with the pace.

“I think it is great to be able to run here. Just being able to finish the 5km, for me it is a blessing. I am learning and I am willing to learn even more.”

Semenya had previously won the world title at 800m three times, including in her last appearance at London 2017, but is now barred from running international events from 400m to a mile unless she takes medication to reduce her testosterone levels.

Also going through were Britons Eilish McColgan and Jessica Judd, and three Americans in Schweizer, Emily Infeld and Elise Cranny.

5000m results

Heats

Heat 1 Qualifiers

Gudaf Tsegay, Ethiopia, 14:52.64, Dawit Seyaum, Ethiopia, 14:53.06, Beatrice Chebet, Kenya, 14:53.34, Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, Kenya, 14:53.45, Karissa Schweizer, United States, 14:53.69, Emily Infeld, United States, 15:00.98.

Heat 2 Qualifiers

Letesenbet Gidey, Ethiopia, 14:52.27, Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui, Kasakhstan, 14:52.54, Sifan Hassan, Netherlands, 14:52.89, Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal, Norway, 14:53.07, Elise Cranny, United States, 14:53.20, Gloria Kite, Kenya, 14:53.62, Eilish McColgan, Britain, 14:56.47, Jessica Judd, Britain, 14:57.64, Nozomi Tanaka, Japan, 15:00.21.