10,000 metres at the Olympics

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.

10,000 metres
at the Olympic Games
The 2012 Olympic women's 10,000 m final
Overview
SportAthletics
GenderMen and women
Years heldMen: 19122016
Women: 19882016
Olympic record
Men27:01.17 Kenenisa Bekele (2008)
Women29:17.45 Almaz Ayana (2016)
Reigning champion
Men Mo Farah (GBR)
Women Almaz Ayana (ETH)

The Olympic records for the event were both set by Ethiopians at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics: Kenenisa Bekele set the men's record at 27:01.17 minutes, while Almaz Ayana set the women's mark at 29:17.45 minutes. The 10,000 metres world record has been broken at the Olympics on two occasions; Lasse Virén's winning time of 27:38.35 minutes in 1972 stood as the record for less than a year, and Almaz Ayana knocked 14 seconds off the women's record in 2016.[1]

Six 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, Kenenisa Bekele and Mo Farah. 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 nine occasions, the most recent being Farah at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Tirunesh Dibaba is the only woman to complete this double, having done so at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Almaz Ayana smashed the world record in a time of 29:17.45. It was the first time four women broke 30 minutes in a single race.

Ethiopia is the most successful nation in the event, with ten gold medals among its total of 24. 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 eleven medals, although Naftali Temu is the only Kenyan to have won Olympic gold.

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.

Medal summary

Men

Games Gold Silver Bronze
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

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1=Paavo Nurmi Finland (FIN)1920–19282002
1=Emil Zátopek Czechoslovakia (TCH)1948–19522002
1=Lasse Virén Finland (FIN)1972–19762002
1=Haile Gebrselassie Ethiopia (ETH)1996–20002002
1=Kenenisa Bekele Ethiopia (ETH)2004–20082002
1=Mo Farah Great Britain (GBR)2012–20162002
7Ville Ritola Finland (FIN)1924–19281102
8Miruts Yifter Ethiopia (ETH)1972–19801012
9=Alain Mimoun France (FRA)1948–19520202
9=Paul Tergat Kenya (KEN)1996–20000202
9=Sileshi Sihine Ethiopia (ETH)2004–20080202
12=Edvin Wide Sweden (SWE)1924–19280112
12=Volmari Iso-Hollo Finland (FIN)1932–19360112
12=Mohammed Gammoudi Tunisia (TUN)1968–19720112

Medals by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Finland (FIN)74415
2 Ethiopia (ETH)53614
3 Great Britain (GBR)2125
4= Soviet Union (URS)2013
4= Morocco (MAR)2013
6 Czechoslovakia (TCH)2002
7 Kenya (KEN)1438
8 United States (USA)1203
9 Italy (ITA)1102
10 Poland (POL)1001
11 France (FRA)0303
12 Sweden (SWE)0123
13 Tunisia (TUN)0112
14= Hungary (HUN)0101
14= United Team of Germany (EUA)0101
14= Belgium (BEL)0101
14= Portugal (POR)0101
18 Australia (AUS)0033
19 Eritrea (ERI)0011

Women

Games Gold Silver Bronze
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
Shalane Flanagan
 United States
Linet Chepkwemoi Masai
 Kenya
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

Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1=Derartu Tulu Ethiopia (ETH)1992–20042013
1=Tirunesh Dibaba Ethiopia (ETH)2008–20162013
3Fernanda Ribeiro Portugal (POR)1996–20001012
4=Gete Wami Ethiopia (ETH)1996–20000112
4=Vivian Cheruiyot Kenya (KEN)2012–20160112

Medalists by country

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Ethiopia (ETH)52310
2 China (CHN)1102
3= Soviet Union (URS)1012
3= Portugal (POR)1012
5 Kenya (KEN)0224
6= Great Britain (GBR)0101
6= South Africa (RSA)0101
8 United States (USA)0112

Five miles

Intercalated Games

The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[2]

At this event a men's five-mile race was held – the first time a long-distance event featured at an Olympic competition. A British runner, Henry Hawtrey, won the event. Two 1908 Olympic participants for Sweden, John Svanberg and Edward Dahl, were the minor medalists.[3]

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1906 Athens
 Henry Hawtrey (GBR)  John Svanberg (SWE)  Edward Dahl (SWE)

1908 Olympics

Games Gold Silver Bronze
1908 London
 Emil Voigt (GBR)  Edward Owen (GBR)  John Svanberg (SWE)

References

Participation and athlete data
Olympic record progressions
Specific
  1. "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 551=2. Archived from the original (pdf) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  2. 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
  3. Athletics Men's 5 mile Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-01-26.
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