by Larry Eder
photo by PhotoRun.net
Bekele is the World Champion at 10,000m in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009. Bekele took the bronze over 5,000 meters in 2003 and gold over 5,000 meters in 2009!. Bekele’s 5,000m/10,000m wins in 2009 were unprecedented at the World Champs!
In the Olympic venues, Bekele has gold in 2004 and 2008 at 10,000 meters and gold in 2008 over 5,000 meters. His 5,000m/10,000m double at the 2008 Beijing Olympics allowed his name to be mentioned in the same breath as Hannes Kolehmanen (1912), Emil Zatopek (1952), Lasse Viren (1972 & 1976) and Miruts Yifter (1980).
Add six World Cross country titles over 12k, five over 4k, and one can see that Kenenisa Bekele has been a dominant force in long distances over the past decade.
Bekele is beginning to train once again, with his eyes firmly set on London 2012, one wonders aloud whether we will see him in 2011, defending his titles from Berlin?
It takes a certain level of fitness to run the last 3,000m of a 5,000m race in 7:35, the last 2,000m in 4:56, last mile in 3:57.01 and a last 400 meters in 53.28, as Bekele did in Beijing in 2008.
Can Bekele regain this level of racing fitness? Only time will tell…..
ADDIS ABABA
(ETH): “It has been almost a year since my leg injury, but I have now
started training. I’m hoping to be ready for the London Olympics,” says
Kenenisa Bekele per twitter. The olympic and world gold medalist was not
racing in 2010 at all (except of 4th place at Edinburgh CC early in
January) due to calf and knee injuries and his competitions for 2011
remain also under questionmark. Good news is that he is back in
training. His last track race was the IAAF World Athletics Final win in
the slow 3000 m in Thessaloniki on September 12, 2009 (8:03.79). He is
reigning double winner at Olympic Games and World Championships. In his
impressive career he never lost a track 10 000 m race. His longest road
race so far is a 15 km in Netherlands in the fall of 2008, observers are
expecting also a marathon debut from him in future. Athletics Weekly
points out he may try for 10 000 m / marathon double at London Games.
RESULTS
OUTDOOR
KINGSTON
(JAM, Mar 12): Racers TC team won the 4×100 m at 35th Gibson Relays. The
team (D. Bailey, Rose, K. Anderson, Blake) clocked 38.85 at new blue
track of the National Stadium. Second UTech 39.04 in cool conditions. In
the 4×400 m Racers posted 3:08.68 (Robertson, Steele, A. White,
Fothergill).
MONTERREY (MEX, Mar 11): Fabiola Ayala equalled her life-time best 190 in high jump at Relevos TEC event.
SAO
PAULO (BRA, Mex 10): Fast sprints by Ana Claudia Lemos 11.24 (+2.1) and
23.59 (-3.4). Rogerio Bispo leaped to 785 (0.0) in long jump.
VITERBO
(ITA, Mar 12): Best result during first day of Italian Winter Throwing
Championships was the 58.54 of Zahra Bani in women javelin.
TOLEDO (ESP,
Mar 12): Frank Casanas won discus with 63.21 the Spanish Winter
Throwing Championships. Javier Cienfuegos posted Spanish U23 best in
hammer 75.02. Berta Castells won women hammer (66.12).
ADDIS ABABA
(ETH, Mar 12): The 28th Addis Ababa Club Championships registered after
seven days of competition (informs IAAF) interesting double by young
Etenesh Diro at 3000 m (9:21.83) and 5000 m (16:22.18). Gari Roba won
the men steeple in 8:40.50 and in the women race African championships
silver medallist Sofia Assefa achieved new championship record of
9:57.83 ahead of world junior record holder Almaz Ayana (10:09.12) and
All-African Games bronze medallist Mekdes Bekele (10:22.42). Fantu
Megeso improved Ethiopian women 400 m record to impressive 52.03. Fast
also men´s 400 m 46.19 by Bereket Desta. Yilma Gurara clocked 1:46.68 in
the 800 m, Abiyot Abinet 3:43.05 in the 1500 m.
JACKSONVILLE
(USA, Mar 12): Mohamed Trafeh won the US 15 km title while winning the
34th Gate River Run in 42:58. The recent US Half-Marathon gold medalist
beat Ben True 43.12, Aaron Braun 43.26, Scott Bauhs 43:39 and Ryan Vail
43:44. Jenn Rhines won here for the second time in 49:31 and is also US
Half-Marathon title holder this year in Houston. Nan Kennard was second
(49:56) beating Megan Hogan to third (49:57). Runners observed 15
seconds of silence to honor Sally Meyerhoff.
XINTAI (CHN,
Mar 12): In women 20 km walkÃng race at National Walking GP meet Gao Ni
clocked 1:31:23 to be the best senior woman. In the U19 category fourth
placer from Moncton He Qin improved to 1:32:20 and in the U18 also
impressive 1:33:16 for Luo Xingcai. Informs Tilastiopaja.
LAREDO (ESP,
Mar 12): European marathon medalist Chema Martinez won the 9th edition
of Laredo 10 km road race in 28:35. Second Moroccan Hicham El Amrani
achieved 28:39 and third middle distance Juan Carlos Higuero. One week
after beeing 6th in Paris at 1500 m his time was impressive 28:41. Women
winner Paula Gonzalez got 33:26.
VILA NOVA DE
BAREQINHA (POR, Mar 12): Portugal national short course CC titles at 4
km went to two Paris indoor finalists from last weekend. Sara Moreira
won the women race in 12:50 ahead of Ercilia Machado 12:56. Rui Silva
was the best man with third title in a row in this event ahead of Rui
Teixeira. Times were not reported.
KRAGUJEVAC
(SRB, Mar 12): Serbian, Turkish and Romanian runners dominated at the
55th Balkan CC Championships at the Kragujevac hippodrome. Some 3500
spectators saw in main senior races home wins for Mirko Petrovic (12 km,
30:39) and Olivera Jevtic (8 km, 27:45). In men´s race second Fatih
Bilgic of Turkey (30:55) ahead of Mariu Ionescu from Romania (31:10). In
women race remaining podium places for Romanian runners Cristina Frumuz
(28:32) and Cristina Casandra (28:36). In the U23 races wins for Hasan
Pak of Turkey (8 km, 24:50) and Lilian Danci of Romania (6 km, 21:47).
Junior gold medals for Claudiu Cimponieru (6 km, 19:13) and home Amela
Terzic (4 km, 13:38). From six team titles four were won by Turkey
(senior men, both U23 races and junior boys), the remaining two stayed
at home (senior women and junior girls). In total 173 runners from 9
countries competed.
ZAMOSC (POL,
Mar 12): Marcin Chabowski defended his national title in the 12 km CC
race in 43:15. Also in women 8 km the Polish title remained in hands of
Katarzyna Kowalska (8 km, 32:35). Steeple specialist Tomasz Szymkowiak
won the short race at 4 km (13:57) and Katarzyna Broniatowska was the
best woman at the 4 km (26:12).
INDOOR
VAXJO
(SWE, Mar 12): Olympic discus winner Estonian Gerd Kanter won the World
Indoor Throwing Challenge in Vaxjo with 66.92, his third best indoor
mark of the career. Second Australian Ben Harradine impressive 65.60 and
third Eric Cadee of Netherlands 62.47. German Sabine Rumpf won women
discus 57.95.
AUBIERE
(FRA, Mar 12): Mickael-Meba Zeze achieved 6.83 to win the 60 m during
French Indoor U18 Championships. In junior category the title for Thomas
Romming 6.80.
JAPAN UPDATE
(JPN): Nagoya Marathon was the final qualifying race for the upcoming
World Championships marathon team. So several elite runners, such as
Yuri Kano, Yurika Nakamura and Yoshiko Fujinaga have missed their
opportunity to qualify for the marathon team. To give these runners a
second chance, JAAF has announced that the another World Championships
marathon team qualifying race will be designated soon, probably on March
15. It will most likely to be in April, and the top candidate is Nagano
Marathon, also possibilities to run abroad are not ruled out.
ADDIS ABABA
(ETH): Legendary Haile Gebrselassie who is in preparation for April
Vienna Half-Marathon posted on his twitter: “2 weeks ago, I was supposed
to run Tokyo, but couldn’t because of a knee problem. I now see the
devastating power of the earthquake. I realise how fragile life is. I
wish the entire nation of Japan lots of strength and willpower to
overcome this disaster.”
ADDITION
COLLEGE
STATION (USA, Mar 11): To first day of NCAA Championships it is
important to note that the fastest women 200 m time was posted by
Candyce McGrone in heats with 22.84 (indoor PB). Last year world junior
medalist Casimir Loxsom was eliminated in 800 m heats (1:49.37).
REIMS (FRA,
Mar 12): Grzegorz Sudol of Poland who was helping Yohann Diniz during
his succesfull 50 000 m walk track world record attempt posted in the 30
000 m new national record 2:11:11.95.
