The Men's 5000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 56 competitors, with three qualifying heats (56) and two semifinals (30) before the final (15) took place on Saturday October 1, 1988.

900 metres into the race, John Ngugi went all in, coming from the back of the pack, passing the field and dropping a sub-60 lap.

Ngugi slowed to a more rational pace, but still have a 40-metre breakaway on the peloton, led by John Doherty.

With five and a half laps to go, Domingos Castro went around Doherty to lead the effort to bridge the gap.

Five metres before the finish, Kunze also sprinted past Castro, both (West and East respectively) German runners running about a 56-second last lap.