Jebet targets 5000-metre improvement despite gold

Baku : Bahrain track star Ruth Jebet said she wants to improve in the 5000 metres, despite winning gold in the discipline on Thursday at the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.

Jebet ran 14 minutes and 53.41 seconds at the Olympic Stadium to hold off Turkey's Yasemin Can as she claimed a second gold medal of the Games.

Jebet stormed to gold in her favoured 3000-metre steeplechase on Wednesday to add to her Olympic title from Rio, but she found it much tougher in the 5000 metres against her training partner Can, who finished just nine hundredths of a second adrift to take silver.   

"The steeplechase is my best event but I need to try and improve my 5000-metre times. I need to try and keep the 5000 metres going ahead of London (2017 world athletics championships)," said Jebet after winning the event for the first time in her career.

The 20-year-old, who will stay in Baku for another month to train, said she intends to put in the extra hours to aid her bid for further 5000-metre glory.

"I need to keep my preparations going ahead of the 2020 Olympics," added Jebet.

The 3000-metre steeplechase remains the holy grail for the Bahraini, who broke the world record in the Paris Diamond League meeting last August, and she admitted she might call it a day after Tokyo 2020.

"Maybe I will retire after I defend my Olympic title," she said with a wry smile.

Turkey's Kenyan-born athlete Can meanwhile was upbeat after being pipped to gold by her friend Jebet.

"I'm happy because I have a silver medal, and I still have the 10,000 metres to come," said Can.

Can, who is also 20, is the reigning European champion in both long-distance races, but she appears to have bigger targets on her agenda. 

"I'm going to enter the 5000 and 10,000 metres in London. We will have to wait and see how it goes."

Can is among the favourites for gold for the Baku 10,000-metre final on Saturday.