Ethiopia's Bekele claims 2nd gold medal
Saturday, August 23, 2008 | 8:44 AM ET
CBC Sports
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia was masterful in the men's 5,000-metre race on Day 15 at the Beijing Olympics, winning his second gold medal of the event in Olympic record time.
Bekele crossed the line for the win in 12 minutes, 57.82 seconds. He broke a 24-year-old Olympic record by more than seven seconds.
Bekele last week won gold in the 10,000, setting an Olympic record in that race as well. He now has four medals in his career, after winning gold at the 2004 Athens Games in the 10,000 and settling for silver behind legendary runner Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in the 5,000.
Ethiopia won six medals in Beijing, all over the 5,000 and 10,000 distances.
On Friday, Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba became the first woman in history to win both the 5,000 and 10,000.
Bekele became the seventh man in Olympic history to claim the double.
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge took silver in Saturday's race in a time of 13:02.80. Kipchoge won bronze in 2004 behind El Guerrouj and Bekele and took silver at the 2007 world championships behind Bernard Lagat.
Edwin Soi of Kenya won bronze in 13:06.22.
Lagat of the United States was ninth, completing a disappointing Olympics. Lagat, who had won silver and bronze representing Kenya over the previous two Olympics, earlier in the week did not qualify for the 1,500-metre final.
The Olympic record that had stood so long was set by Said Aouita of Morocco at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.