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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Bekele Defends Olympic 10,000m Title; Rupp 13th

Posted August 17th, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Kenenisa Bekele and Sileshi Sihine reclaimed gold and silver for Ethiopia in the men’s 10,000 meters Sunday night in Beijing. Three-time world champion and 10,000m/5000m world record holder Bekele ran 27:01.17 to break the Olympic record, which he set in Athens.

“It was a very big goal for me to win this title - my dreams have come true to win tonight,” Bekele said afterward.

Sihine was close behind Bekele in 27:02.77 and Kenya’s Micah Kogo won the bronze with a time of 27:04.11. Kogo barely outkicked fellow Kenyan Moses Ndiema Masai at the finish line.
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Excellent Weather for Women’s 10-K Could Mean Fast Times, New Record

Posted August 15th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Nine straight days of bad weather finally lifted here today giving rise to the possibility of fast times in tonight’s women’s 10,000m, the first final on the track of these Olympic Games.

At 22:00 local time, the temperature was 26°C (79°F) with 51% humidity, far better conditions than were anticipated by most of the 32 competitors from 18 nations who are on the start list.

The Olympic Games record is 30:17.49 set by Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia in Sydney in 2000. With athletes like two-time world 10,000m champion Tirunesh Dibaba and multiple world road running record holder Lornah Kiplagat (Pictured) in the field, that record could go. The field is loaded with talent; 13 women have personal best times under 31 minutes.
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2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Women’s 10,000 Meters

Posted August 14th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Women’s 10,000 Meters

The Schedule: Friday, Aug 15
(live on NBC)
The Americans:
#5 Shalane Flanagan,
#8 Kara Goucher, Amy Begley
The Contenders: #1 Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH), #2 Lucy Kabuu Wangui (KEN), #10 Grace Kwamboka Momanyi (KEN) #12 Ejegayehu Dibaba (ETH), #13 Kim Smith (NZL), #16 Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (KEN), #21 Mestawet Tufa (ETH), Elvan Abeylegesse (TUR)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List, 2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - T Dibaba, E Dibaba, Abeylegesse;
SI - Tufa, Jepleting, Kabuu
The Story: Six runners automatically get respect simply from their uniform: the trios from Ethiopia and Kenya. The northernmost of the two African neighbors has had significantly better results at international championships, winning five of the last nine major medals to Kenya’s none. One of those Ethiopians gets more respect than the other two combined, however: two-time World champ Dibaba, who also holds the 5k world record.
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2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Men’s 10,000 Meters

Posted August 14th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Men’s 10,000 Meters

The Schedule: Sunday, Aug 17
(live on NBC)
The Americans: #12 Abdi Abdirahman, #18 Galen Rupp, Jorge Torres
The Contenders: #1 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH), #3 Moses Ndiema Masai (KEN), #10 Sileshi Sihine (ETH), #18 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), #19 Micah Kogo (KEN), #22 Martin Mathathi (KEN)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List,
2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - Bekele, Sihine, Mathathi;
SI - Bekele, Sihine, Masai
The Story: This event is dominated by Kenya and Ethiopia, and the latter has been recently taking the best of the former. The Ethiopians have entered their three greatest runners of the last two decades: “The Emperor” Gebrselassie, his heir Bekele, and Sihine, who in five tries has never lost to anyone but these two in a championship 10k. A sweep would be surprising only in that Geb seems to have lost a little bit of the edge necessary for track racing.
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Gerry Lindgren: The Self-Proclaimed “Wimp” Who Revolutionized Running

Posted March 25th, 2008 at 1:34 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, College, High School

Despite protests of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, President George W. Bush recently stated that there will not be a boycott from the United States. According to CNN, Bush believes the Olympics “should be about the athletes and not necessarily about politics.”

Former U.S. Olympian Gerry Lindgren, 62, agrees. He thinks China will benefit from hosting the Games.

“I think they need to leave politics out of it,” he said. “China has made some great strides forward in the last few years.”

Lindgren recalls backlash of the 1980 U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. He did not plan to compete in Moscow, but he knew how disappointed the U.S. team was to miss out on the Olympic experience. Lindgren said he was upset with former President Jimmy Carter’s decision and said the Olympics should have been “the only avenue in the world that wasn’t political.”
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