IAAF World Athletics Championships Womens 5000m Final

Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman, competing in her first World 5000m Final in Doha on Saturday 5th October 2019, following on from a tough Wednesday heat,  performed excellently by finishing seventh in a top class field, that was led home by Kenyan pre-race favourite Helen Obiri, who posted a Championship record winning time of 14m26.72s, winning by almost a second from fellow Kenyan Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, with leading European Konstanze Klosterhalfen of Germany coming home for the Bronze medal in 14m28.43s.

Finishing seventh, Weightman was the second European, posting a new personal best time of 14m44.57s, and taking a whole seven seconds off her previous figures, which had been achieved in the Diamond League Anniversary Games at London’s Olympic Park in July.

Three places behind Weightman was her fellow Great Britain counterpart Eilish McColgan,
who had led the race twice during the twelve and a half laps.
Once for the first 700m, and for 200m between 1300m and 1500m.

McColgan finished with a time of 14m46.17s, which was also a new personal best for the Dundee athlete,
which was a pleasing consolation, not only for her, but also her watching mother Liz, a legend herself.
When interviewed afterwards by BBC Sport, Weightman was very modest about her achievement,
and felt that she could have done a little better, and perhaps have claimed a top six placing.
Nevertheless, this performance clearly means that Laura has finished her 2019 Summer track campaign off by topping the UK Rankings, which effectively speaks volumes on a Worldwide basis,
especially with Tokyo Olympics just a year away.

Barring injury and misfortune, plus that other matter of running qualifiers, she will make the trip, for what would be her third Olympics, having made the final of the Women’s 1500m on both of those two previous occasions in 2012 in London, and 2016 in Rio.

Another Morpeth Harrier in action in Doha was Male Marathon specialist Serod Batochir.
The celebrated Mongolian finished in 54th place in what was initially a 74 strong field,
where only 55 finished, in what were difficult conditions in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Serod, who celebrated his thirty eighth birthday on Monday 7th October,
posted a finishing time of 2hrs36mins01secs.

Great Britain’s Callum Hawkins of Kilbarchan, narrowly missed out on a Bronze medal by six seconds, finishing fourth behind Kenyan Amos Kipruto.
Hawkins posted a finishing time of 2hrs10mins57secs.

The event was won by Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, who posted a winning time
​of 2hrs10mins40secs, just outsprinting team-mate Mosinet Geremew by four seconds.