Here's an excerpt from the WTW that we just published.
LRC wrote:
What Has Happened To The Kenyan 5000-Meter Men?
In Shanghai, the first five men across the line in the 5000 were all born in Ethiopia. In 2018, the top five men in the world in the 5000 were all Ethiopian. That inspired us to keep looking at the yearly lists of top 5000 times to see when was the last time a Kenyan ran super fast at 5000. You have to go all the way back to 2014 to find the last time a Kenyan man ran faster than 12:58, and back to 2013 to find a year where a Kenyan man broke 12:55 (22 Kenyan men have broken 12:55 in history). In 2014, Paul Tanui was #2 in the world at 12:56.16, and in 2013, Edwin Soi led the world list at 12:51.34.
No Kenyan man has won gold outdoors globally in the 5000 since 2005 (Benjamin Limo). The Kenyans used to be very good at 5000. From 1991 to 2005, a Kenyan man won seven of the eight World Championship 5000s, and in 2007, it was the Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat who won 5000 gold at Worlds. But nothing since.
If you have a theory, let's hear it. Yes, we know a lot of money has gone to to the roads but Ethiopia is still producing 5000 talents.