A collision just before the 800-meter mark in the women's 5,000-meter final at the Paris Olympics initially cost a Kenyan athlete a silver medal, but an appeal later overturned the decision.
An instinctive moment initially cost Faith Kipyegon an Olympic 5,000-meter silver medal on Monday at the Paris Olympics. And then after an appeal, it didn't. But first, here's what happened:
Kipyegon extended her right arm, making contact with Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay a little more than 800 meters from the finish, causing Tsegay to lose her balance before the race continued. The official ruling was obstruction.
However, a dramatic turn of events unfolded as Kenya successfully appealed the decision, resulting in Kipyegon's reinstatement to the silver medal position. The decision sent shockwaves through the stadium and ultimately demoted Hassan to bronze.
Kipyegon continued to compete closely with her fellow Kenyan, Beatrice Chebet, the world record-holder in the 10,000 meters, over the next two laps, eventually finishing in second place.
Following an appeal by the Kenyan Federation, Kipyegon was reinstated and awarded the silver medal. Initially, she was disqualified for the obstruction with just over 800 meters remaining, which temporarily reshuffled the podium, promoting the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan to second place with a time of 14:30.61 and Italy's Nadia Battocletti to third with a time of 14:31.64.
After the successful appeal, Battocletti was moved back to fourth place and Hassan to third. Tsegay, who was directly involved in the incident, finished in eighth place with a time of 14:45.21. Despite holding the world record for the 5,000 meters, Tsegay's performance on Monday was not her best.
Hassan, aiming for an impressive Olympic triple in the 5K, 10K, and marathon, closed the gap on the Kenyans in the last lap. Battocletti, meanwhile, set a new Italian national record with her performance.
Kipyegon, who holds world records in the 1,500 meters and mile, was a former record-holder in the 5,000 meters before Chebet surpassed her.
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