Kenenisa Bekele remains on course for Olympic double
August 20, 2008
|
|
|
(From L) Kenya's Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa, Ethiopia's Kenenissa Bekele and Bernard Lagat of the US
|
|
History:
Bekele was born in 1982 at Bekoji, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, the same town as the Dibaba sisters; Ejegayehu, Tirunesh and Genzebe, and their cousin Derartu Tulu.
For five years in a row, from 2002 through 2006, he took both short (4K) and long (12K) races at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, a feat no other runner has accomplished even once. In 2004, he broke the world records for the indoor 5,000 m, outdoor 5,000 m and outdoor 10,000 m.
Bekele is renowned for his ability to accelerate very quickly at the end of a long distance race; in Oslo in June 2003, Bekele chased after Kenyan Abraham Chebii and ran a 54.64 final 400 to win the race in 12:52.26. Again in Lausanne on July 1, 2003, Bekele recorded a 200 m segment during the last lap in 24 seconds and a 100 m section in 11.xx seconds to run a 52.63 final lap.
Bekele has faced his mentor Haile Gebrselassie once in road competition, once in cross country, and five times on the track. Gebrselassie defeated Bekele on the track in the 2000 Nurnberg 5,000 metres, the 2001 Great Ethiopian Run 10 km, and the Cross de l'Acier in December of 2001, but lost to Bekele in Hengelo 2003 over 10,000 m (26:53 to 26:54), Rome 2003 over 5000 m (12:57 to 13:00), Paris 2003 World Championships over 10,000 m (26:49 to 26:50), and Athens 2004 Olympic Games (27:05 to 27:27).
|
BEIJING (AFP) — Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele on Wednesday cruised into the final of the men's Olympic 5000 metres to keep his bid for an elusive long-distance running double on course.
Bekele finished third in his heat and advanced to Friday's final where he will seek to emulate the 5000/10,000m double last achieved by compatriot Miruts Yifter in the 1980 Moscow Games.
The Ethiopian, who won his second consecutive 10,000m Olympic gold on Sunday, was happy to coast along at the back of the pack as Swiss Philipp Bandi set the early, slow pace.
Abdelaziz Ennaji el Idrissi of Morocco and Belgium's Monder Rizki took up the running with four laps to go, before Kenyan-born US runner Bernard Lagat hit the front.
James Kwalia C'Kurui then darted away, taking a 20-metre lead into the final lap.
But the Kenyan-born Qatari faded in the final straight and was caught by Lagat, who failed even to make the 1500m final in his own ambitious bid for a double.
"I proved to my fans that I'm doing my best to win a medal in the final," said Lagat.
"I'm happy I won. I wasn't going out there to win but I thought when I was leading 'why not just go and win it?'
"I missed the 1500m so to win in the 5000m is my only objective."
Kenyan Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa finished in the fourth and final automatic qualifying berth ahead of Australian Craig Mottram.
After his speedy breakaway, C'Kurui fired out a warning to his rivals from Africa.
"If it's a fast race, I will go fast," he warned. "If it is a slow race I will win. It's not just about Kenya and Ethiopia for this event."
American Matthew Tegenkamp was a surprise winner of the first heat, winning the race to the line in a five-man sprint to clock 13:37.36.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, Bekele's younger brother Tariku and Eritrean Kidane Tadesse followed him home.
"I didn't want to let the race get away from me like it did in the 1500m," said Tegenkamp. "I had to be aggressive and I am happy I won.
"I felt strong and pushed it all the way, I had some problems with my left achilles and I lost a few weeks of training, it's good now it has been looked after well by the USA staff."
The second heat winner was Edwin Chruiyot Soi of Kenya, who outsprinted Moses Ndiema Kipsiro of Uganda to the line, with Ethiopian Abreham Cherkos finishing third.
Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi, who won the 1500m on Tuesday, elected not to race.