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The 5000 meter sprint for men, also called 5
kilometer or Five K event, is held on the tracks in the Olympics.
For doing well in the event, the athletes require speed and stamina.
Only speed sans strategy is bound to fail.
Debut
5000 meter race for men event made its Olympic debut in the 1912
Stockholmes Summer Games. After that, the event has been contested
regularly.
Rules and Regulations
- Federation approved automatic timing device must be used for
time measurement during the races. No other device for measuring
the time is allowed.
- When the number of athletes in the event is more than twelve,
preliminary heats are organized. The sprinters qualifying in the
heats enter the next round. Participation is mandatory for all
athletes.
- International Association of Athletics Federations or IAAF
has determined the length and width of the running track used
for the track events during the Olympics.
- In accordance with the IAAF rules, the radius of the outside
lane of the running track cannot exceed 50 meter in length.
- After two false starts, the athlete is disqualified from the
competition.
- No athlete is allowed to participate if he leaves the track
when the race is on.
- An athlete is not given any credit if he fails to reach the
finishing line.
- The participants are not allowed to run inside the inner
curve of the track, or even stepping on it.
- Obstruction of the race in any way will attract
disqualification.
Dominating Country
Finland has been the dominating country since the advent of 5000
meter sprint for men. However, after the 1960s, African countries
became the dominant force.
Top Performers
Some of the top performers in the event are Gunnar Hockert, Gaston
Reiff, Emil Zatopek, Murray Halberg, Bob Schul, Mohammed Gammoudi,
Lasse Viren, Said Aouita, Miruts Yifter, Vladimir Kuts, John Ngugi,
Dieter Baumann, Hannes Kolehmainen, Joseph Guillemot, Paavo Nurmi,
Ville Ritola and Lauri Lehtinen. |
