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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Women’s 1500 Meters

Posted August 12th, 2008 at 3:30 PM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Women’s 1500 Meters

The Schedule: heats, Tuesday Aug 19; semifinals, Thursday Aug 21; finals, Saturday Aug 23
The Americans: #5 Shannon Rowbury, #8 Erin Donohue, #9 Christin Wurth-Thomas
The Contenders: #2 Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BRN), #3 Gelete Burka (ETH), #7 Sarah Jamieson (AUS), #14 Daniela Yordanova (BUL)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List, 2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - Jamal, Soboleva, Tomashova;
SI - Jamal, Lishchynska, Burka
The Story: The USA has never won an Olympic medal in this event, but that may change this year. The Stars & Stripes is fielding its strongest trio ever in this event, headlined by Rowbury. She will be a breakout media star if she manages to win gold.
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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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2 Mile World Best for Bekele in Birmingham

Posted February 16th, 2008 at 3:09 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Kenenisa Bekele set a new world best over 2 miles at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham, England, today, clocking 8:04.35.

His performance knocked 0.34 seconds from the previous mark of 8:04.69 set by his compatriot Haile Gebrselassie in 2003 on the same track at the National Indoor Arena. Bekele, the world record holder outdoors in the 5000 and 10,000m, now owns the world record or world best indoors at 2000m, 2 miles and 5000m. Only Daniel Komen’s indoor mark of 7:24.90 in the 3000m, considered the strongest of indoor world records on the track, has eluded the 25-year-old Ethiopian.
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Burka Returns To Edinburgh Cross Country In Search of Repeat

Posted December 20th, 2007 at 3:30 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

She’s only 21, but Gelete Burka already has one IAAF World Cross Country Championships title and two victories at the BUPA Great Edinburgh International Cross Country to her credit. Now she’s hoping that before she reaches her 22nd birthday next February she’ll have yet another victory in Edinburgh, her third in a row.

“I’m delighted that Burka is returning,” said the elite athlete manager for the meet in Edinburgh, Andy Caine. “She’s an exceptional talent and her manager insists the attraction of scoring a hatrick will be a motivating factor.”
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Tirunesh Dibaba will not defend world 5000m title

Posted August 28th, 2007 at 8:12 AM by David Monti

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

Tirunesh Dibaba, who won both the 5000m and 10,000m titles at the last IAAF World Championshpis in Athletics in Helsinki, has decided that she won’t defend her 5000m title after winning last Saturday night’s 10,000m gold medal at Nagai Stadium here.

In a statement sent by the media by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, Dibaba said she was simply not recovered enough from her 25 lap race. “I waited to see myself in training,” the statement read. “But after consultations with my coaches and reexamined my health, I have decided not to contest the race.”

This is a blow to fans who were looking forward to the clash between Dibaba and Meseret Defar, the only woman capable of beating her in next Saturday’s final. Defar, the 5000m Olympic champion in 2004, finished second at the last world championships behind Dibaba and is now the overwhelming favorite to win the gold.
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Webb’s 1500m win the Highlight in Paris

Posted July 8th, 2007 at 6:00 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With a brilliant display of assertive racing, Alan Webb powered to a 3:30.54 victory in the 1500 this weekend to highlight the Meeting Gaz de France Paris-St. Denis; the second stop on the six-meet IAAF Golden League series.

Running aggressively from the outset, the 24-year-old three-time American champion never lost control of the race, despite the relatively brisk pace.

“I knew it was going to be hard,” Webb said, explaining his decision to run near the front from the gun despite the pre-race plan for a 2:47 split through 1200 meters. “I could have been in fifth place and it would have been hard.”
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Ostrava Preview: Defar, Haile, Isinbayeva and more

Posted June 26th, 2007 at 5:00 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

With an impressive slate of Olympic, World and continental champions and a handful of World record assaults, the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2007 resumes with a bang on Wednesday at the 46th edition of the Golden Spike in Ostrava.

DEFAR LOOKING FOR FAST OSLO FOLLOW-UP

While organiZers have again lured a strong collection of talent to this eastern Czech city, one of the most keenly observed will Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar. Hot on the heels of her staggering 14:16.63 World record in Oslo 10 days ago, Defar returns to action to try and take that 5000m mark down even further.

After breaking her own mark by almost eight seconds, the 23-year-old Ethiopian said in a quite straightforward fashion in Oslo that there’s no reason not to try again in Ostrava. Besides compatriots Gelete Burka and Meselech Melkamu, organizers have also brought in Russian Olga Komyagina to set the pace, just as she did in that unforgettable run in Oslo.
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Prefontaine Classic: Recap of middle & long distance events

Posted June 11th, 2007 at 1:57 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

If the late Steve Prefontaine was watching this meeting from above his beloved Hayward Field, he surely had a smile on his face as gutsy performances in the middle and long distance events dominated this meeting.

For the second year in a row, the meet was held in cool and sometimes rainy conditions, and that was just perfect for the rollicking two-miler which was won by Australian Craig Mottram in the fastest time every on U.S. soil. John Jefferson and Bernard Kiptum set the early pace, and Tariku Bekele and Mottram were running 1-2 when Kiptum left the track after about 2000 meters.

Bekele led out of turn-2 on the final lap, but Mottram started his long sprint with more 250 meter to go. Bekele just couldn’t answer, and the big Aussie motored to the line in a sparkling 8:03.50, blowing through Eliud Kipchoge’s U.S. all-comer’s best of 8:07.68 set at the same meet in 2005.

“It comes down to the size of your balls, really,” said Mottram on live television after the race.

Bekele ran a personal best 8:04.83, while a hard-charging Matt Tegenkamp broke Alan Webb’s U.S. best of 8:11.48 with a terrific 8:07.07 clocking. Dathan Ritzenhein nearly got under Webb’s mark, finishing in 8:11.74 in fourth place. As for Webb, he finished a disappointing 9th, surely a letdown after his commanding victory over Bernard Lagat in the Reebok Grand Prix last Saturday.
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Bekele to run World Cross Champs after all

Posted March 7th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Kenenisa Bekele will have an opportunity to win his 11th individual senior title at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, on March 25, the IAAF reported today. Bekele, who had previously said many times that he would not contest these championships, has been added to the Ethiopian team, along with Gelete Burka on the women’s squad.

Bekele’s addition to the team lifts the fortunes of the Ethiopian squad to take back the team long-course gold they had won in 2005 in St. Galmier, France.
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