2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres

The women's 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 15 August. The Ethiopian team was particularly strong in the event, with two-time World Champion Tirunesh Dibaba, 5000 metres World Champion Meseret Defar, and African record holder Meselech Melkamu all vying for first place. The 2007 silver medallist Elvan Abeylegesse, Olympic bronze medallist Shalane Flanagan, and the World Cross Country Champion Florence Kiplagat were other athletes with strong medal possibilities.

The race featured a number of surprises and upsets, beginning with the withdrawal of the defending champion Dibaba due to a leg injury. With seven laps to go, the 2007 medallist Abeylegesse dropped out of the race and a quintet of runners (Linet Masai, Melkamu, Defar, Wude Ayalew and Grace Momanyi) broke away from the rest of the pack. As the runners approached the finish line, favourites Defar and Melkamu sprinted in front. However, neither could maintain their speed and Melkamu prematurely celebrated victory, only to see Masai take the gold medal with a tactically-timed run. Defar, completely exhausted, eventually finished in fifth as Ayalew and Momanyi took third and fourth, respectively.

Breaking a decade of Ethiopian dominance, nineteen-year-old Masai's gold medal was the first Kenyan victory in the event since the 1997 World Championships, and the country's first 10,000 m medal since 1999.