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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Bekele and Dibaba to Double at Beijing Olympics

Posted July 15th, 2008 at 9:07 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Track & Field, Olympics

Bernard Lagat’s ambitious goal to succeed Hicham El Guerrouj as the Olympic 1500m and 5000m champion might have gotten even more difficult with today’s team announcement by the Ethiopian Olympic Committee (EOC). Despite earlier indications that he would only defend his 10,000m Olympic title in Beijing, the EOC included Kenenisa Bekele on its 5000m roster as well.

Less than two months ago, Bekele told reporters in Hengelo, The Netherlands, that a double was out of the question.

“It’s very tough to run a double at the Olympics,” he said. “I ran many kilometers in a few days in Athens, and I lost a lot of power.”

Apparently Bekele has had a change of heart. The world record holder at both events and widely acknowledged as the finest distance runner of his generation, Bekele will be aiming to improve upon his showing over the shorter distance in Athens four years ago, where he finished runner-up to El Guerrouj.
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In Quest for Double Olympic Gold, Lagat has El Guerrouj on His Side

Posted April 19th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

As he sets out on his quest for double Olympic gold this summer, Bernard Lagat will have plenty of supporters. Among them is the man whose achievement he’ll be hoping to emulate in Beijing: world record holder and reigning double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj.

“Bernard proved in Osaka, thanks to determination and passion, that he can do it,” El Guerrouj, the finest middle distance runner of his generation, said of his long-time rival, last fall.
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Lagat’s Second Gold Medal Caps World Championships

Posted September 2nd, 2007 at 4:33 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

While critics said he had bitten off more than he could chew, Bernard Lagat swallowed up the field of the men’s 5000m final here tonight, becoming the first man to win both the 1500m and 5000m at an IAAF World Championships in Athletics. He also became the first American to win a 5000m world title.

It mattered not his winning time of 13:45.87 was the slowest in the history of these championships. In fact, it was the painfully slow early pace which set the stage for Lagat to use his unmatched closing speed to clinch the title over Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, the 2003 world champion. In a memorable sprint to the finish, Lagat just edged his former compatriot by 13/100ths of a second, running about 52 seconds for the final lap.
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Lagat to Double at World Championships

Posted August 4th, 2007 at 8:30 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

That Bernard Lagat won today’s 1500m at the Norwich Union Super Grand Prix was not a surprise, but his decision to double in both the 1500m and the 5000m at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka certainly was.

“Tonight I informed USATF that I have decided to double at both 1500m and 5000m in Osaka,” Lagat wrote in an e-mail message sent to Race Results Weekly by his long-time manager, James Templeton.

At last June’s AT&T USA Championships, Lagat also did the 1500m/5000m double, placing third in the shorter event and winning the longer. At that time, he was leaning towards just doing the 1500m, but said that he had not ruled anything out. As his summer track season progressed, Lagat seemed off form at 1500m, finishing a distant 7th in Paris and third in Sheffield. That led to speculation that he would move up to the longer event, but the two-time Olympic medalist indicated that he was ready for the challenge of the double.
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Lagat looking for strong Osaka tune-up in London

Posted August 3rd, 2007 at 8:50 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With just over three weeks remaining before the start of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, American 1500m record holder Bernard Lagat will be looking for one last high profile tune-up tomorrow night at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix in the British capital.

Lagat, who won the 5000m and finished third in the 1500 at the U.S. championships in late June, will be aiming for his first solid outing over the shorter distance since his runner-up finish in the Prefontaine Classic mile on June 10. In his most recent 1500m races, Lagat was a distant seventh at the Golden League meet in Paris on July 6, and a well-beaten third at the Norwich Union International on July 15.

Alan Webb, who’s been on a tear over the past month after his world-leading 3:30.54 victory in Paris, his U.S. record in the mile and a sub-1:44 career best in the 800 last week in Heusden, Belgium, has opted out of the London race to nurse a sore hamstring.
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