COLUMBIA, Mo. – Former Mizzou Track & Field athlete Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) finished ninth at the IAAF Track & Field World Championships on Saturday in Doha, Qatar, with a personal record time of 14:45.18. Schweizer's mark is the fifth-fastest 5000m time among U.S. runners, and the fastest time ever for an American at the World Championships. Schweizer was one of two Americans in the 5000m final as Elinor Purrier finished 11th with a time of 14:58.17.
Schweizer shaved more than seven seconds off of her qualifying time from Wednesday after dropping below the 15:00 threshold for the first time in her debut in Doha. After finishing second in the first of two qualifying heats, Schweizer stuck with the lead pack for most of the 5,000 meters in Saturday's final. Eventually, a group of four pulled away as Hellen Obiri, who represented Kenya, took the gold with a time of 14:26.72.
Following her incredible performance at the World Championships, Schweizer will continue to pursue a spot in the 2020 Toyko Summer Olympics.
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