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Kenyans and Ethiopians Continue Dominance of Long-Distance Running

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 5:12 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Ethiopia and Kenya Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, although he missed his goal of setting a new world record, still ran the fastest 10000m of the 2007 season at the Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussels, Belgium. His time of 26:46.19 is the 21st fastest time ever run. Kenya’s Moses Masai, nearly sneaking up on Bekele at the end, took second place with a time of 26:49.20, the 26th fastest time ever run.
Micah Kogo’s (KEN) 3rd place 26:58.42 and Bernard Kipyego’s (KEN) 4th place 26:59.51 were the 51st and 53rd fastest ever run, respectively.

Those four finishing times put some more resounding exclamation points on Kenya’s and Ethiopia’s near-total dominance of the event in recent history. After today’s race, Kenyan- and Ethiopian-born athletes now own 124 of the 150 fastest times ever run in the Men’s 10000m Run. That’s right, over 82% of the world’s fastest 10000m times of all time belong to Kenyan- and Ethiopian-born runners.

The same story goes in the 5000m Run: After today’s 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th place finishes, Sileshi Sihine (ETH), Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), Joseph Ebuya (KEN) and Thomas Longosiwa (KEN) are among the Kenyan- and Ethiopian-born athletes who have run 120 of the 150 fastest times ever run in the 5000m Run. Sihine’s 12:50.16 is the 21st fastest time of all time. With statistics like these, anyone who thinks that the world is closing, or will soon close, the gap on East African long-distance running is sorely mistaken. To paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, “baby, they were born to run!”

Source: [alltime-athletics.com]