The men's 5000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics were held at the Olympic Stadium on 20 and 23 August In hindsight, this race was the confluence of many of the greats.
Eliud Kipchoge had the championship record from 2003 and would go on to greater fame in marathon running, winning the Olympic gold medal in 2016 and 2021.
A lesser known British runner named Mo Farah was making his first World Championship final after disappointment in the 2008 Olympics.
With the mixture of strength runners like Bekele and Kipchoge, and kickers like Lagat and Farah, the strategy was a question mark.
Bekele moved back to control the race, marked by Lagat, Kipchoge, Moses Ndiema Kipsiro and Kenyan transplant to Qatar, James Kwalia C'Kurui.