Olympic Silver Medalist Hellen Obiri settled for second place in the Wanda Diamond League 5000M Finals. Obiri clocked a time of 14:29.68 behind Francine Niyonsaba who won the race with a time of 14:28.98. In third place was Ethiopian Taye Ejgayehu; 14:30.30 while Kenyans yet again took 4th and 5th place, Margaret Kipkemboi and Eva Cherono with times of 14:32:18 and 14:36.88 respectively.
Niyonsaba’s victory saw her bag $30,000 in prize money to cap a tremendous season in which she switched to the 5,000m after being barred from running her favored 800m. “I love challenges. I have a lot of resilience and determination, I stayed behind most of the race, this was my tactic, I am still learning after switching from 800m to longer distances.” said the 28-year-old.
For Obiri, an 11 year chapter came to a close as she's looking forward to competing on the roads next season. “This race was like a championship. It was a new experience, we did not know where we can start to kick and to accelerate etc. It was the first event like this. It was a memorable moment for me. The race was hard for me, I tried to kick and did my best but Francine is a former 800m runner. She had a stronger kick.” She said. The 31-year-old is known for her versatility as the only woman in history to win world titles in indoor track, outdoor track, and cross country.
“After 11 years in track, I feel that has not been an easy task and I am excited to venture into another phase of my career. I think it is the right time to move on although I will really miss the track.”Added Obiri. Running fans won’t have to wait long to watch Obiri take on the roads. She is scheduled to compete on Sunday, September 12 at the Great North Run half marathon, which runs from Newcastle to South Shields in England.