BEIJING -- Kara Goucher says here are two different Karas.

"One is really aggressive. One is like a world class athlete. She can beat anybody," the University of Colorado graduate explained. "The other is an OK athlete, better than most. The better-than-most showed up here last Friday."

That one had a disappointing Olympic debut, finishing 10th in the women's 10,000-meter run.

The world class Kara showed up here Tuesday. And Goucher hopes she will be back in three days.

Goucher had the seventh best qualifying time in the 5,000-meter run with 15:00.98 and will return with 14 other women for the finals on Friday night.

One of those other women will be Boulder native Shalane Flanagan, who qualified sixth. Flanagan, a bronze medal winner in the 10,000, ran half that distance in 14:59.69 just beating Goucher to the line in Tuesday's heat race.

Goucher started the race at a fast pace, running up with the leaders early on. Every time it seemed like she might be dropping back in the pack, she made a kick and stayed close to the front.

"My coach told me walking down that I had to be under 15:16, so I just kept my eye on the clock and I just wasn't going to get broken by whoever the leader was," she explained. "I just sat there and sat there and sat there. About a mile to go, I knew I was safe and just tried to conserve as much as possible."

Flanagan said he didn't look at the clock.

"I always want to make sure I'm in that top six," she said. "I got bumped around a bit, and kind of lost my stride. Maybe it wasn't the smoothest race. So I'm going to try to work on that a little more."

At 6 and 7, Flanagan and Goucher finished just better than Ethiopian world record holder Tirunesh Dibaba, who came in eighth with a time of 15.09.89. The best qualifying time was by another runner from Ethopia -- Meseret Defar with 14:56.32.

With Jennifer Rhines getting the 15th and final qualifying spot, the United States has three women in Friday's finals.

"Who would have thought we have three women? I'm so excited, and so psyched that I ran the 5K at the trials," Goucher said. "This is a huge statement. I'm so proud to be a part of it. I'm so proud I'm not at home. I'm so glad I'm here."