Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot trumps Ayana for 5000m gold

Kenya's Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot celebrates her victory in the Women's 5000m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 19, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD

Two-time former world champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya rained on Ethiopian Almaz Ayana's bid for an Olympic distance double, kicking with two laps to run to seal gold in the women's 5000m on Friday.

Cheruiyot, who won silver in the London Games four years ago, timed a new Olympic record of 14min 26.18sec, with teammate Hellen Obiri taking silver in 14:29.77.

Ayana, who set an amazing world record to win the 10,000m earlier in the week, had to be happy with bronze.

Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot won the Olympic women's 5,000 metres final on Friday, breaking the Games record to stun pre-race favourite Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia to take gold.

World 5,000m champion Ayana was hunting her second gold medal in Rio after she shattered the 10,000m world record last week but it was Cheruiyot who triumphed with a superb tactical run to win in a time of 14.26:17.

Ayana looked to be on the way to another dominant victory after surging into a huge lead four laps into the race but the Ethiopian tired in the closing stages and was unable to hold off Cheruiyot's late surge.

Cheruiyot had to settle for silver over 10,000m in one of the greatest ever long-distance races, saying afterwards she would be Olympic champion one day.

The 32-year-old stayed true to her word in the 5,000m final and did not panic when Ayana burst into the lead, winning Kenya's first ever medal over the distance and cementing her legacy as her country's most decorated female athlete.

Kenyan Hellen Onsando Obiri clocked a personal best of 14:29.77 to take silver behind Cheruiyot, who is a four-times world champion over 5,000m and 10,000m. Ayana had to settle for bronze.

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