The World Athletics Championships 2023 will be held in Budapest from August 19 to 27.
The women’s 10,000m event is at its peak, with a record eight runners registering a sub-30 minute mark this season, making this event one of the toughest ones in history. The following are the top three contenders for the gold medal in the women’s 10,000m event.
Sifan Hassan (Netherlands)
FILE PHOTO: Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Sifan Hassan is the Olympic gold medallist in 10,000m & 5,000m races. She is one of the most complete long-distance runners in the world.
The 30-year-old Dutch also won gold in 10k and 1500m at World Championships in Doha 2019.
With a personal best of 29:06.82s (second-best in history), Hassan is a very strong contender for gold in Budapest.
She enters the event with a time of 29:37.80s (second-best in this season).
PB - 29:06.82s in FBK Stadium, Hengelo (NED) June 6, 2021
SB - 29:37.80s in FBK Stadium, Hengelo (NED) June 3, 2023
Gudaf Tsegay (Ethiopia)
FILE PHOTO: Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Gudaf Tsegay is a force to reckon with in long-distance races.
The 26-year-old hails from Ethiopia and currently ranks ninth in the world in women’s 10,000m.
She is the 500m world champion and has a personal and season best of 29:29.73, which she recorded at Ethiopia’s World Championships Trials in Nerja, Spain.
She also enters the event with a world-leading time.
PB - 29:29.73s - Estadio Enrique Lopez Cuenca, Nerja (ESP) June 23, 2023
SB - 29:29.73s - Estadio Enrique Lopez Cuenca, Nerja (ESP) June 23, 2023
Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia)
FILE PHOTO: Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey is the reigning world champion of this event.
She grabbed gold by clocking 30:09.94s in the Oregon World Championships in 2022.
She is also the world record holder with an astounding time of 29:01.03s that she registered in FBK Stadium, Hengelo in the Netherlands in 2021.
Gidey is making a comeback in the long-distance race this year. She failed to complete the 10k mark in the World Cross Country Championships but later won a silver medal in 5k in the Diamond League.
PB - 29:01.03s - FBK Stadium, Hengelo (NED) June 8 2021
SB - Nil
Grace Loibach Nawowuna (Kenya) - Dark Horse
FILE PHOTO: Grace Loibach Nawowuna of Kenya. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Grace Loibach Nawowuna, the young phenom from Kenya, has made a big name in a short time for herself in the long-distance racing circuit.
Participated in only one 10k race, she registered the eighth-best time (29:47.42) in history at the FBK Stadium in Hengelo, the Netherlands, in June this year to win silver after finishing just behind Hassan.
She later participated in the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst and finished fourth in it.
PB - 29:47.42s - FBK Stadium, Hengelo (NED) June 3, 2023
SB - 29:47.42s - FBK Stadium, Hengelo (NED) June 3, 2023
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