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Van Damme Memorial:
Key Match-ups in Brussels

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 12:45 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

kenenisa bekele agent hermens brussels memorial van damme september 2007 The IAAF Golden League series continues tonight in the Belgian capital. Kenenisa Bekele’s assault on his own 10,000m world record is set to take center stage, while American Sanya Richards and Russian Pole Vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva continue in their chase for the $1 million Golden League Jackpot. A crowd of 47,000 will be on hand for the meet’s 31st edition, the 11th consecutive sell-out.

An event-by-event breakdown:

MEN – 100m:

While some initial speculation built this as a possible match between world champion Tyson Gay and world record holder Asafa Powell, in reality the face-off was never in the cards; the most likely scenario was that Powell would contest the 100, and Gay the 200. The morning after last Friday’s Zurich meet, Gay told meet director Wilfried Meert that he felt “miserable”, and eventually went home to see his personal physician, bowing out of the meet altogether.

Another main drop-out was Bahamian Derrick Atkins, the Osaka silver medallist. Atkins was in town for a youth clinic on Wednesday, but informed Meert that evening that he too would go home, exhausted, and that “he was finished for the year.” After his recent world record, this is obviously Powell’s race to lose.

200m:
Even without world champion Gay, the field is among the meet’s most stacked. Jamaican Usain Bolt and American Wallace Spearmon, the Osaka silver and bronze medalists, are in the field, as is Xavier Carter who took a dominating victory in Zurich last weekend in his first outing in the event since coming back from injury.

800m:
Every top level 800m clash of the year has been a wide open affair this season, and Brussels appears to be no different. World leader Mbulaeni Mulaudzi returns to action after his disappointing seventh place finish in Osaka, while Yuriy Borzakovskiy, the runner-up at the World championships, arrives after his sixth place showing in Rieti. World champion Alfred Kirwa Yego lost his follow-up races in Rieti and Rovereto, while World junior champion David Rudisha, also from Kenya, arrives after a solid victory in Zurich. The latter, just 18 with just one loss this season, could be considered the favorite.

1500m:
In a wide open men’s 1500, Osaka silver medallist Rashid Ramzi returns to action to head the field. The chief competition looks to be from Kenyans Daniel Kipchirchir Komen and Asbel Kiprop. Komen’s season looked quite promising after his 3:48.28 victory in the Prefontaine Classic mile in early June, but he hasn’t won a race since. Kiprop, still just 18 and the world junior cross country champion, raced to fifth in Zurich last weekend after his fourth place finish in Osaka. Zurich winner Mehdi Baala originally wanted to go after Fermin Cacho’s European record, but has pulled out and reportedly ended his season due to a bad cold. Alan Webb, originally slated to compete, had a change of heart after Zurich, Meert said, and has already returned home to Virginia. Webb’s manager Ray Flynn said that Webb is as yet undecided about competing at next weekend’s World Athletics Final in Stuttgart. Stay tuned.

5000m:
Perhaps to avoid a head-to-head clash in a world record attempt, Sileshi Sihine, the runner-up in the Osaka 10,000, will contest the shorter 5000 this weekend. The winner in the Rome leg of the Golden League series, Sihine will face Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in his first outing since taking silver in Osaka, and the younger Bekele, Tariku, who was a distant sixth in the Zurich 3000m one week ago. American Matt Tegenkamp, fourth in Osaka, has chosen Brussels for his final race of the season. “It’s going to be a 12:50 race, so I’m just going to go for it.” The pacing duty calls for a 7:40 pace for the first 3000 meters.

10,000m:
At this meet two years ago, Kenenisa Bekele lowered his own record in the event to 26:17.53. Then, he was paced by his brother Tariku, who took him through the first half in just over 13:09, before he eventually lowered the mark with a 57-second closing lap.
“A record is not easy every time,” said Bekele, who’ll be making his first start since winning his third consecutive world title over the distance late last month. “You can have it if you work hard, and if the conditions are right, but it’s not easy.”
Bekele said he squeezed “easy training” sessions into his schedule after returning home from Osaka, a hectic period which included Ethiopia’s new Millenium celebrations. “I had a great time,” Bekele said, “sometimes I stayed up until two in the morning.”
Bekele, his manager Jos Hermens, and Meet Director Wilfried Meert all agree that finding adequate pace-making is one of the toughest chores in the sport today, a problem compounded by the fact that their choice is limited to Ethiopians. The Kenyan federation, Hermens said, isn’t usually too willing to have Kenyan runners pace an Ethiopian on a world record bid.
Sharing the pacing chores will be Bekele’s training partner Hailu Dinku, and Abreham Cherkos Feleke, whose job will be to reach the first half in under 13:10. Running on his own after that, Bekele said, “Is no problem.”
“My shape is better now than it was two years ago, and one year ago when I ran more Golden League races. I’m in good shape now.”
But Bekele said that the psychological aspects of a world record run outweigh the physical.
“It’s very hard to stay concentrated, to run 25 laps at 63 seconds per lap.”
Would winning the race but missing the record be a disappointment? After a long pause, Bekele smiled and said, “It’s OK, no, it wouldn’t be disappointing.”
The Memorial Van Damme has become synonymous with fast times in the men’s 10,000. Of the 51 performances under 27 minutes, 29 have been run on the track at the Stade Roi Baudouin, including15 of the fastest 25. It’s certainly likely that several more performances will be added to that list Friday night. But who is anybody’s guess.
“We never know who will be the main competitors (in a 10,000m),” Bekele said. “I just wait to see.”
The strong field includes Qatari Ahmad Hassan Abdullah, the former Kenyan Albert Chepkirui, who ran his PB of 26:38.76 here in 2003, won in 2004, and returns again this year after not finishing in Osaka. Also returning is the defending champion Micah Kogo of Kenya, whose 26:35.63 was the fastest in the world last season. Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam, sixth in Osaka and with a 26:52.33 PB from Hengelo this year, could also be a factor.
In his first track race since June 2006, Meb Keflezighi, the Olympic silver medallist in the marathon, is running to improve his U.S. record of 27:13.98, set in 2001.
“His training indicates he can do it,” his coach, Bob Larsen, said. “Now we just have to hope that the race can be set up that way.”

110m Hurdles:
Meert tried to recruit Liu Xiang and Terrence Trammell, the Osaka 1-2 finishers, but to no avail. Xiang is preparing for the Asian meets at the end of the month and won’t be competing in Europe anymore this year, Meert said, while Trammell went home to the U.S., saying “he had business to attend to.” The field is nonetheless top-notch, headed by Cuban Dayron Robles, whose 13.05 in Linz on Tuesday was quite notable, considering the wet, cold and windy conditions. Osaka bronze medallist David Payne and American veteran Allen Johnson are in the field as well.

3000m Steeplechase:
Built up as a face-off between world leader Paul Kipsiele Koech, the season’s lone sub-eight minute runner, and recently-minted world champioin Brimin Kipruto. The latter will be targeting his first career sub-8.

Triple Jump:
World champion Nelson Evora of Portugal tops the field, which includes Americans Walter Davis and Aarik Wilson.

Javelin Throw:
Most of the event’s top names are here, minus American record holder and Osaka bronze medallist Breaux Greer. Another battle between Finland’s world champion Tero Pitkamaki and Norway’s Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen.

WOMEN –
100m:
A compelling Osaka rematch, with the entire podium trio reuniting here: world champion Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, and Americans Lauryn Williams and Carmelita Jeter. European record holder Christine Arron of France, who yesterday celebrated her 34th birthday, will be looking to spring a surprise similar to her victory in Zurich last weekend.

200m:
Most of the 47,000 pairs of eyes in the stadium will be focused intently on this race, with Belgium’s biggest star, Kim Gevaert taking the line. Of interest here is America Torri Edwards’s appearance, about a half hour after her outing in the 100m. Edwards and her management pleaded with Meert to be included in the race, in order to gain some points to qualify for next weekend’s World Athletics Final.

400m:
This is Sanya Richards’ race to lose.World champion Christine Ohuruogu pulled out due to fatigue –it clearly showed in her dismal outing in Zurich—while Allyson Felix’s spoiler role never came to pass after a clear case of “father knows best.” According to Meert, Felix’s father ordered the 21-year-old 200m world champion to stay home to fulfill her university duties. She may, Meert said, attend the World Athletics final next weekend.

Mile:
Keeping with the imperial theme on the women’s side of things, organizers have included a mile contest instead of the 1500. While the distance has changed, the key characters will likely stay the same, as Maryam Yusef Jamal, the world champion, and Yelena Soboleva of Russia, the world leader over both the 1500 and mile this year and the Osaka silver medallist, square off yet again.

2 Miles:
The feature bill on the women’s distance program is the rarely-run 2 miles, where Meseret Defar, in her first race since winning the 5000m title in Osaka, will presumably be chasing her 9:10.47 world best from May, clearly within her capabilities. The Ethiopian’s run in Carson, Calif., was a time trial –runner-up Megan Metcalfe was 27 seconds back– but here she’s likely to have company.
Kenyan Vivan Cheruiyot, second to Defar in both her most recent 5000m world record run –her 14:22.51 was also under the previous standard– and in the Osaka final, arrives on the heels of her 8:30.25 career best for 3000m in Rieti. Priscah Jepleting, the Osaka bronze medallist, was right on the heels of Cheruiyot in Rieti as well, promising a strong contest.

100m Hurdles:
Two-time world champion Michelle Perry was knocked out the Jackpot hunt last weekend by Swede Suzanna Kallur, and will be looking for revenge here in order to stay alive in the five-of-six Golden League scenario should Richards or Isinbayeva lose either here or in Berlin on Sunday. Perdita Felicien, the Osaka silver medallist, won in the rain in Linz on Tuesday and could be a threat.

Pole Vault:
This again appears to be Isnbayeva’s to lose, but the Russian clearly showed signs of weakness in Zurich, needing a full slate of tries before taking the win. Her compatriot, former world record holder Svetlana Feofanova, seems to most likely candidate to unseat her rival.

High Jump:
Blanka Vlasic, Croatia’s world champion, has unprecedented momentum on her side, and is the clear favorite. To date she’s made 18 in-competition attempts at a would-be world record of 2.10m; many of those clearly indicated that it’s a simple matter of time before the two-decade old record would fall.

Photo Kenenisa Bekele (right) with manager Jos Hermens in Brussels. (Courtesy of Bob Ramsak)