Men’s 5000 metres
There is no clear cut favourite in this event with Olympic champion Million WOLDE running inconsistently and the silver medalist Ali SAIDI-SIEF choosing the 1500m. Indeed, each Golden League meeting has had a different winner.
Ethiopia's Hailu MEKONNEN has the world's fastest time of 12:58.57 recorded in a dramatic win over Kenyans Benjamin LIMO and 19 year old Sammy KIPKETER in Rome. The Kenyans both dipped under 13 minutes in that race too. Kenyan trials winner Richard LIMO was fourth at 13:00.32. Such is the depth of the Kenyan team that John KIBOWEN beat Benjamin LIMO for the final place on the world championship team and Paul BITOK, owner of a pair of Olympic silver medals, winner in Oslo, also failed to make the team.
KIBOWEN has twice won the world 4km cross country championship and has also run the mile in 3:47.88, but never won a major medal on the track. Now thirty-two years old this could be his last chance.
Time is on LIMO’s side. Just twenty years old, the Kenyan has a best time of 12:58.15 from two years ago! Though he made the Kenyan Olympic team he underperformed finishing a disappointing 10th.
The gap between the East Africans and the rest of the world has grown so it is unlikely we will see a European in the medals. And a big question is what has been happening in the Atlas mountains where Morocco’s high altitude training centre has consistently turned out world beating middle distance runners. The fastest Moroccan at this distance has been Abderrahim GOUMRI who ran 13:03.60 for third in Paris. Could it be that they have been preparing single-mindedly for Edmonton?
If the race becomes a tactical affair then anyone from this group has a chance for a medal with KIBOWEN the fastest sprinter of the bunch. A battle between the African runners is guaranteed regardless.
