Hellen Obiri over the moon after winning the 5,000m title at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8 – Hellen Obiri has disclosed that she had decided to fly back home from Doha after failing to clinch a medal in the 10,000m at the IAAF World Championships and even boycotted training for two days.
Obiri says she was mentally disturbed after losing the race and it only took the intervention of her husband and close friends to convince her to stay on in the Qatari capital and defend her title – something she did with an emphatic performance.
“I was mentally disturbed because I was expecting a lot from the 10k. I was thinking of withdrawing and I had decided that I would go back home. I didn’t want to stay in Doha. It took me almost three days to come to terms,” Obiri told Capital Sport.
She added; “I was so angry after losing and I asked my husband why he encouraged me to double and now I had lost. He (my husband) had told me that I needed to stay on and focus on the 5k which was my race but I said no, I had to leave. Ultimately, I listened to him and my manager also came and talked to me,” explained Obiri who turns 30 in December.
She got herself back together and rose on her feet to qualify for the final, leading a Kenyan one-two finish with Margaret Chelimo coming in second.
Hellen Obiri celebrates after winning the 5,000m title at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar
Obiri clocked 14:26.72 to set a new Championship record and defend the title she won in London 2017.
“I decided that I would go in to the race and when I did well in the heats, I knew that I was back up and I would win the race. With all the anger of losing the 10k, I said I had to destroy the field in the 5k and I did that to win gold,” Obiri stated.
Having won two outdoor 5,000m titles, one indoor title and a cross country crown, Obiri now hopes she can get that one medal she has wished for for so long; the Olympics.
With Tokyo coming up next in 2020, Obiri says she is focused on heading to Tokyo and earning that title.
“It is the only medal I am missing and that is what I will work on after my short break. I am yet to decide whether I will double at the Olympics or not but at least I have gained some experience from the World Championships,” stated Obiri.
