Bekele (left) prepares to make his move, as Sihine (c) and Gebrselassie (r) battle it out at the front of the Hengelo 10,000m (© Soenar Chamid)
Rome, Italy time World 10,000m champion Haile Gebrselassie and ‘double-double’ World Cross Country champion Kenenisa Bekele, say they are both ready for their second clash this season, as a star-studded field gets ready for tomorrow’s 5000m race in the PERONI Golden Gala, the third IAAF Golden League meeting of 2003 (11 July).
Apart from the Ethiopian duo, there is also the presence of the Kenyan Abraham Chebii, who so spectacularly upstaged Gebrselassie at 5000m in Paris last Friday, and so it would be too simple to view this race as just an Ethiopian duel. That said the Kenyan is a new interloper on what is widely regarded a battle between the present Emperor and his heir apparent.
Beyond the main triumvirate there is also a generally strong Ethiopian flavour to the race with former World Junior Cross County champion Gebregziabher Gebremariam, World 10,000m silver medallist Assefa Mezgebu, Ethiopian 5000m and 10,000m champion Sileshi Sihin, Markos Genneti, and former World Indoor two miles record holder Haylu Mekonnen, all taking part and vying to get the minimum time needed to qualify for the 9th World Athletics Championships in Paris in August.
But the spotlight will be on Bekele and Gebrselassie as they get ready for their third meeting. Gebrselassie beat Bekele in the first edition of the Great Ethiopian Run in 2001, but the standings were reversed over 10,000m Hengelo in June as the 21-year old, fresh from his unique second double World cross country triumph, beat “The Emperor” in the year’s best time of 26:53.70.
While Bekele has gone from strength to strength and has won two 5000m races since then, in Oslo and Lausanne, Gebrselassie lost for a second time this year to the power of Chebii in Paris.
Gebreselassie was reported to have travelled to the Netherlands for a medical checkup and today revealed the exact illness. “I have been coughing mildly for the last four years and now it has changed to Bronchitis,” he said. “I feel pain when I sprint. The Doctors have given me some medicine and I feel better now although there is still some pain.”
Asked about the race in Paris, Gebreselassie said, “It was a good race although the weather was a bit cold,” he said. “I took the lead when the pacemaker left the race. I accelerated from 300m mark, but Chebii did so from the 200m. That was when he got passed me.”
As for Rome, he succinctly stated “I expect Chebii, and Kenenisa [Bekele] to be my strongest competitors.” The multiple World record holder further added that he is happy with his form and says he is preparing well with the intention of regaining his 10,000m title in Paris this summer.
“What I worry about now is my time, not whether I finish top,” he said. “I think that my times this year at the 5000m (12:54) and the 10,000m (26:54) are good. I think I can do well in Paris.”
Bekele, on the other hand, was modest about the prospect of his third meeting with Gebrselassie. “If we could predict who could win a race before it even started, we would not even run,” he said. “It is a world class field of Ethiopians and Kenyans and we can hope for good competition.”
He further added that he expects the race to be fast, but not quite up to World record time. “It all depends on the pacemakers,” Bekele said. “However, the pace will be fast no matter what, but I do not think we can go up to the World record mark.”
After defeat to Sileshi Sihin in the Ethiopian championships in May, Bekele made three winning appearances in Europe including his famous conquering of Gebrselassie in Hengelo. In doing so, he says, he has overcome a problem that had plagued his track performances in his junior years. “I used to feel dizzy when I went around the track,” he said. “But now, I am getting used to it, as you can see.”
While Kenenisa gets ready to do battle with the best field of long distance runners assembled this year, his younger Brother, Tariku, is currently in Sherbrooke to take part in the 3rd IAAF World Youth Championships. Speaking about his younger brother’s chances in Sherbrooke, Kenenisa said, “It is difficult to say whether Tariku will get a good result in Canada,” he said. “He is a student and has been doing Athletics along with his education. I just want him to get some experience and lift up his hopes for the future. It means a world to me that he is involved in running and that he has stayed away from any bad things.”
Like any other world-class athletes, Bekele’s main attention his summer is Paris and the World Championships, although he is not yet sure about which distance he will take part in. “I have very good times at both the 5000m and the 10000m,” he said. “But I have not decided which distance to run in.”
