Amebaw adds world 5km crown to Ultimate win in Copenhagen

Likina Amebaw wins the 5km in Copenhagen (© World Athletics Gaelle Mobuchon)

Likina Amebaw added another global title to her collection just six days on from claiming the Ultimate 5000m crown, securing a dominant 5km victory at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26 on Saturday (19).

The Ethiopian 28-year-old took control of the race during the first kilometre and made her winning move as she reached the 4km mark, kicking away from Kenya’s Caroline Gitonga.

Her rivals had no response, leaving Amebaw enough time to celebrate on her approach to the finish line, which she crossed with her arms raised in 14:41. Gitonga secured silver in 14:48, while Australia’s Rose Davies finished strongly to clinch bronze in an Oceanian record of 14:50.

Racing on a cool afternoon, it was Great Britain’s Megan Keith who made her way to the front of the field early on. Amebaw soon joined her and then eased past, followed by Gitonga and Uganda’s Charity Cherop.

The leaders, who covered the first kilometre down Østerbrogade in just outside three minutes, picked up the pace and by the time they reached the 2km marker in around 5:54, Amebaw was in charge of a breakaway group of three – ahead of her compatriot Aleshign Baweke and Gitonga.

Gitonga then took a turn at the front and they hit the 3km mark inside nine minutes. Baweke struggled to maintain the pace and with 10 minutes on the clock she had been dropped, Amebaw and Gitonga running side by side.

Baweke was five seconds back as the leaders ran alongside the lake, approaching the final kilometre. And that 4km marker was Amebaw’s sign to surge – she moved away from Gitonga with ease, returning past Trianglen with only the final 600-metre stretch past Parken remaining.

Amebaw could enjoy the moment – starting her celebrations with the finish line in sight and securing a seven-second victory. Davies was a couple of seconds behind Gitonga, clinching the final podium place by a single second ahead of South Africa’s Tayla Kavanagh in a PB of 14:51. Baweke finished fifth in 14:53.

The top six all finished inside 15 minutes, Spain’s Marta García next over the finish line in a PB of 14:59.

It has been a highly successful year for Amebaw, who has impressed on the road and track. After opening 2026 with a 10km PB of 29:29 in Valencia, she secured a series of top-two finishes on the Diamond League circuit before finishing second in the final in Brussels over 5000m.

Just nine days later she stormed to a dominant 5000m victory at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

Amebaw's performance in Copenhagen completes her three consecutive weekends of major competition.

"I'm coming straight from Budapest, but the shift from track to road was not really difficult as I have been training both at the same time," she explained. "The track was a bit difficult for me so running the 5km today was better and I felt good – I had prepared for the road racing.

"I knew I had to push from the very start and it worked as planned. There was a little wind, but it was okay and I managed to find some good spots on the course."

Jess Whittington for World Athletics

1 Likina Amebaw (ETH) 14:41 2 Caroline Gitonga (KEN) 14:48 3 Rose Davies (AUS) 14:504 Tayla Kavanagh (RSA) 14:515 Aleshign Baweke (ETH) 14:536 Marta García (ESP) 14:597 Georgia Griffith (AUS) 15:018 Samiya Hassan Nour (DJI) 15:049 Hannah Gapes (NZL) 15:0610 Hannah Nuttall (GBR) 15:08