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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 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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Fire on the Track:
The Steve Prefontaine Story

Posted May 7th, 2007 at 2:50 PM by Sarah Mandell

Section: Motivation, Movies, Special Features, TFS Reviews

FireOnTrack_Amazon Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story is a motivational documentary about the success of a young runner from Coos Bay, Oregon. Prefontaine’s story, told through live footage, photographs, and accounts from his competitors, friends, and family, greatly assisted in understanding the awe and inspiration that was Steve Prefontaine’s ; also known by his loyal fans as “Pre.”

At a young age Steve stuck out for his energy towards life. He appeared born to be an athlete, but in junior high he was told that he was too small for contact sports. So instead of heading down the wrong path, he found a sport that he could participate in, running. When Prefontaine began running his goals were mighty for a boy from Coos Bay, stating that one day he was going to go to the Olympics. His mother recalled missing many games due to her busy work schedule, until one day a woman approached her and said, “you really need to go to those meets, your son is Olympic stuff.”
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