With 3 laps to go a group of seven had separated, including all three Ethiopians, plus Milcah Chemos Cheywa, Mercy Wanjiku Njoroge and Habiba Ghribi, all still behind Zaripova.

On the 6th lap, defending champion and World Record holder Gulnara Galkina, already off the back, made a right turn and stepped off the track.

[3] On 4 June 2016, Tunisian Habiba Ghribi was awarded with the olympic gold medal in a ceremony in Rades, Tunisia, presented by IOC Vice-President Nawal El Moutawakel.

1 On 24 March 2016, the Court of Arbitration for Sport disqualified Russian Yuliya Zaripova for doping and confirmed that she would be stripped of her gold medal.

[6] On 4 June 2016, the gold medal was officially reallocated to second place Habiba Ghribi from Tunisia by the IOC[4] and IAAF updated the results.