Photo via Athletics Weekly

Searing Seare denies Ingebrigtsen in Copenhagen 5km sensation

Eritrea's 21-year-old Dawit Seare pulled off a massive upset at the 2026 World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, clinching the men's 5km title in a national record time of 12:56. After competitors faced a ten-minute start delay, France's Flavien Szot pushed an early tempo before dropping out at 2km, leaving teammate Jimmy Gressier in front of a ten-man pack through 3km.

Ethiopia's Mezgebu Sime launched an attack at the 4km mark that only Seare could match, prompting Olympic 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to bridge the deficit. Although Ingebrigtsen caught and momentarily overtook Seare with roughly 200 meters left, the young African champion dug deep in the final strides to reclaim the lead, pointing to the sky as he crossed the finish line.

Ingebrigtsen settled for silver in a Norwegian record of 12:59, continuing a strong sequence that includes August's European 5000m title in Birmingham and a triumph at Budapest's Ultimate 5000m following February Achilles surgery. Saymon Amanuel took bronze to complete an outstanding showcase for Eritrea, complementing Seare's breakthrough campaign that also featured 5000m gold at the African Championships in Accra alongside top-ten 10km road outcomes in Boston and Atlanta.

In the women's division, Likina Amebaw secured victory just seven days after prevailing at the Ultimate 5000m in Budapest.