Media Works via Newshub
New Zealand long-distance runner Camille Buscomb has qualified for next year's Tokyo Olympics after running a personal best in the 5000m at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha.
Buscomb finished fifth in her heat in a time of 15m 02.19s to gain one of the automatic qualifying spots for Sunday's final.
What made her run more impressive was the fact she bettered her previous best time by almost 17 seconds.
"It was pretty messy," she said. "There were a lot of girls, and the pace wasn't quite fast enough, so everyone was it in.
"There was lots of jostling and clipping heels, but I was just trying to stay relaxed for as long as possible because I knew to get top you have to finish really strong.
"My goal was to have energy with three laps to go because I knew that I had to basically kick, because if I couldn't kick I would get passed and I would not be in the top five."
Her time was enough to qualify for next year's Olympics in Tokyo under the entry standard of 15m 10s.
Earlier this week, the 29-year-old also secured a spot at the Olympics in the 10,000m disciple after finishing 12th overall in 31m 13.20s.
Buscomb was a Perago Trust grant recipient in 2015. -Ben Francis, Newshub
