His primary challengers included 2015 World medallists Caleb Ndiku of Kenya and Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet (with the latter having shown the best form that year).

Another Ethiopian, Dejen Gebremeskel (the 2012 Olympic runner-up) was also in the race, as was three-time 5000 m world medallist Bernard Lagat.

[2] The preliminaries delivered a shock as distance running power Kenya placed no athletes in the final.

However, three Kenyan immigrants to other countries ran in the final; Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo and 41-year-old Bernard Lagat of the United States and Albert Kibichii Rop of Bahrain.

Andrew Butchart was a second British finalist, and David Torrence, an American-born athlete, ran for Peru.

After the race a successful protest was filed by the United States, and Mead advanced to the final as a result.

From the gun in the final, two Ethiopian runners went to the front, while Farah dropped to his customary tail end position.

Farah sensed the change in tactics and moved up much earlier than normal to a position in the middle of the strung out pack, to watch the action.

Down the backstretch with 4 and a half laps to go, many tried to move to the front to mark Farah, with elbows flying in the tightening pack.

After the celebration and victory lap, it was announced that Chelimo, Ahmed and Edris were disqualified, giving Gebrhiwet the silver and Lagat the bronze.