The 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by men since the inaugural edition in 1983 and by women since the subsequent edition in 1987. It is the second most prestigious title in the discipline after the 10,000 metres at the Olympics. The competition format is a straight final with typically between twenty and thirty participants. Before 1999, the event had two qualifying heats leading to a final.

The championship records for the event are 26:46.31 minutes for men, set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2009, and 30:04.18 minutes for women, set by Berhane Adere in 2003.Championships Records. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-07-12. The world record has never been broken or equalled at the competition by either men or women, reflecting the lack of pacemaking and athletes' more tactical approach to championship races.IAAF World Championships: IAAF Statistics Handbook Daegu 2011, pp. 595–6 (). IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-07-06.

Haile Gebrselassie is the most successful athlete of the event with four gold medals and also a silver and a bronze, spanning a period from 1993 to 2003. His Ethiopian compatriot Kenenisa Bekele matched his feat of four consecutive titles in 2009. Tirunesh Dibaba is the most successful woman, with three gold medals to her name (2005, 2007, 2013, plus a silver in 2017).

Ethiopia is by far the most successful nation in the discipline, with fifteen gold medals and 33 medals in total. Kenya is comfortably the next most successful with seven gold and 25 medals overall. Great Britain and Uganda are the only other nation to have won multiple gold medals, with three in the men's and one in the women's division for Great Britain.

Four winners of the 10,000 m have completed a long-distance double by also winning the 5000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics: Tirunesh Dibaba was the first to do so in 2005, Kenenisa Bekele became the first man to do so in 2009, and Vivian Cheruiyot (2011) and Mo Farah (2013/2015) followed at the subsequent editions. Of these, only Mo Farah has achieved the feat twice, in 2013 and 2015 - either side of which he performed the same feat in consecutive Olympic Games.

One athlete, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, has completed a rare 10,000 metres - 1500 metres double, in 2019. Age At 15 years, 153 days, Sally Barsosio won the bronze medal in the women's 10,000 m at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics. This makes her the youngest World Championships medallist in any discipline.

All information from World Athletics.

DistinctionMaleFemaleAthleteAgeDateAthleteAgeDateYoungest champion20 years, 126 days22 Aug 199319 years, 137 days5 Aug 1997Youngest medalist19 years, 183 days26 Aug 199115 years, 153 days21 Aug 1993Youngest finalist17 years, 50 days8 Aug 199515 years, 153 days21 Aug 1993Youngest participant17 years, 47 days5 Aug 199514 years, 267 days19 Aug 1993Oldest champion34 years, 134 days4 Aug 201731 years, 347 days24 Aug 2015Oldest medalist34 years, 134 days4 Aug 201733 years, 339 days25 Aug 2007Oldest finalist36 years, 170 days7 Aug 198338 years, 124 days6 Aug 2005Oldest participant38 years, 120 days24 Aug 199942 years, 223 days28 Sep 2019

Doping Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey became the first athlete to be disqualified from the World Championships 10,000 metres for doping. This ban came retrospectively as a 2015 retest of a frozen sample of urine from the 2007 World Championships in Athletics showed the presence of a banned substance. She was stripped of her silver medal.Coldwell, Ben (13 August 2015). Jo Pavey set for world bronze upgrade as Elvan Abeylegesse positive is confirmed. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 16 August 2015.

No other competitors have been banned from the event for doping.Butler, Mark et al. (2013). IAAF Statistics Book Moscow 2013 pp. 67–9. (archived). IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-07-06. Outside of the competition, the 2003 women's bronze medallist Sun Yingjie was banned for doping in 2005.Sun suspended two years, coach in life ban. People's Daily Online (13 January 2006). Retrieved on 2015-08-16.

Medalists Men

In the sixteen editions until 2017, the men's race at the World Championships has been dominated by three men; Ethiopians Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, and Great Britain's Mo Farah - between them, they have won eleven of the sixteen editions held, won silver twice, and bronze once.

Medalists by country Rank NationGoldSilverBronze Total 1 9 7 4 20 2 3 6 9 18 3 3 1 1 5 4 3 1 0 4 5 1 1 0 2 6 1 0 0 17 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 9 0 1 0 1 10 0 0 1 1 Multiple medalists Updated after 2025 championships Rank Athlete Nation PeriodGoldSilverBronze Total 1 1993–2003 4 1 1 6 2 2003–2009 4 0 0 4 3 2011–2017 3 1 0 4 2017–2023 3 1 0 4 5 2011–2013 1 1 0 2 1991–1993 1 1 0 2 7 1995–1999 0 2 1 3 2003–2007 0 2 1 3 9 2019–2025 0 2 0 2 10 2013–2017 0 0 3 3 11 1991–1993 0 1 1 2 1991–1995 0 1 1 2 1999–2001 0 1 1 2 14 1983–1987 0 0 2 2

Women

Although no Kenyan or Ethiopian won any of the first four editions of the race, they shared all eleven since, with Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot the dominant athletes, with three wins, and two wins respectively, until the West African dominance was interrupted by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan. The next highest ranked nation, China, won all but one if its medals in the now discredited era of 'Ma's Army', the distance running program run by Ma Junren.

Medalists by country Rank NationGoldSilverBronze Total 1 9 9 6 24 2 5 3 7 15 3 1 2 2 5 4 1 1 1 35 1 1 0 2 6 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 8 0 1 1 2 9 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 11 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1

Multiple medalists Updated after 2025 championships Rank Athlete Nation PeriodGoldSilverBronze Total 1 2005–2017 3 1 0 4 2 2011–2015 2 0 0 2 3 2001–2005 1 2 0 3Letesenbet Gidey2019-20231203 5 1995–1997 1 1 0 2 1995–2001 1 1 0 2 2009–2011 1 1 0 2 8 1993–1997 1 0 1 2 1999–2001 1 0 1 2Gudaf Tsegay2023-20251012 11 1991–1993 0 2 0 2 12 1995–1999 0 0 2 2 2017-2019 0 0 2 2

Finishing times Top ten fastest world championships times

+ Fastest men's times at the World ChampionshipsRankTime (sec)AthleteNationYearDate 1 26:46.31 Kenenisa Bekele 2009 2009-08-17 2 26:48.36 Joshua Cheptegei 2019 2019-10-06 3 26:49.34 Yomif Kejelcha 2019 2019-10-06 4 26:49.51 Mo Farah 2017 2017-08-04 5 26:49.57 Kenenisa Bekele 2003 2003-08-24 6 26:49.94 Joshua Cheptegei 2017 2017-08-04 7 26:50.12 Zersenay Tadese 2009 2009-08-17 8 26:50.32 Rhonex Kipruto 2019 2019-10-06 9 26:50.60 Paul Tanui 2017 2017-08-04 10 26:50.77 Haile Gebrselassie 2003 2003-08-24

+ Fastest women's times at the World ChampionshipsRankTime (sec)AthleteNationYearDate 1 30:04.18 Berhane Adere 2003 2003-08-23 2 30:07.15 Werknesh Kidane 2003 2003-08-23 3 30:07.20 Sun Yingjie 2003 2003-08-23 4 30:09.94 Letesenbet Gidey 2022 2022-07-16 5 30:10.02 Hellen Obiri 2022 2022-07-16 6 30:10.07 Margaret Kipkemboi 2022 2022-07-16 7 30:10.56 Sifan Hassan 2022 2022-07-16 8 30:12.15 Rahel Daniel 2022 2022-07-16 9 30:12.45 Ejgayehu Taye 2022 2022-07-16 10 30:12.53 Lornah Kiplagat 2003 2003-08-23

Championship record progression

Men + Men's 10,000 metres World Championships record progressionMain > Men, 10,000 m > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-07-07.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate 27:45.54 1983 Heats 7 August 27:38.63 1987 Final 29 August 27:29.07 1995 Heats 5 August 27:12.95 1995 Final 8 August 26:49.57 2003 Final 24 August 26:46.31 2009 Final 17 August

Women + Women's 10,000 metres World Championships record progressionMain > Women, 10,000 m > World Championships Records Progression. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2015-07-07.TimeAthleteNationYearRoundDate 33:07.92 1987 Heats 31 August 31:05.85 1987 Final 4 September 30:49.30 1993 Final 21 August 30:24.56 1999 Final 26 August 30:04.18 2003 Final 23 August

References

External links Official IAAF website