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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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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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The Week in the Rear View: Racing News May 19-25, 2008

Posted May 26th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jay Hicks

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Columns, Olympics, Week in Rear View

This is my first of what will be many weekly columns wrapping up the goings on in track and field. I am normally found at PreraceJitters.com, writing about the fast life of track and field.

This week the Trevor Graham trial had the full attention of track and field. So far, the trial has been a train wreck. Angela Heredia testified how he gave multiple drugs to Marion Jones before the 2000 Games. Antonio Pettigrew testified under oath that it was EPO and HGH that allowed him to run sub-44 seconds. Consequently, Pettigrew’s testimony puts the 4×400 meter relays teams of the 2000 Olympics and 2001 World Championships in jeopardy of losing their medals. Dennis Mitchell took the stand and testified Graham injected him twice with HGH. Jerome Young also testified that he took banned drugs.

On the track, Liu Xiang flew over the 110 hurdles in 13.13 at the warm up meet held at the Bird Nest in Beijing before the Olympic Games. The time marks Xiang’s fastest of the season, and the second fastest time run overall this year.

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Jelimo, Gebrselassie Steal the Show in Hengelo

Posted May 24th, 2008 at 5:33 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Those fortunate enough to secure a ticket to this afternoon’s 26th edition of the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in Hengelo witnessed a pair of stellar performances that will not be quickly forgotten: a legend of the sport who stubbornly and thankfully refuses to step aside, and the possible birth of another.

14 years after setting his first world record on the Hengelo track, Haile Gebrselassie (Pictured) returned to the venue carrying the role of sentimental favorite in the 10,000m, but in reality was an underdog in his quest to achieve a qualifying performance for a fourth consecutive Olympic team berth.
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Gebrselassie Could Make Beijing U-turn

Posted March 13th, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

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

Ethiopian distance running star Haile Gebrselassie says he may compete over the marathon at the 29th Beijing Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes changes to the event’s venue and starting time.

On Monday, the world marathon record holder and former double Olympic 10000m champion announced that he will not take part in this year’s Olympic marathon citing Beijing’s pollution and fearing the aggravation of his own exercise-induced asthma.

But speaking on Wednesday, the 34-year old said, “I do not want to rule anything out at this point. This decision is not about Haile. It is about all athletes who will be competing. Our safety has to be protected.”
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On the Road & Around the Track:
TFS News Briefs 9/20/07

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, TFS News Briefs

World Athletics Final Middle- and Long-Distance Preview
In the latest WAF preview there are speculations about who will run the middle- and long-distance events this late in the season and why they will do it. Runners to watch (men): Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (800m), Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (1500m), Craig Mottram (3000m), Paul Kipsiele Koech (3000m SC), Sileshi Sihine (5000m). Women: Janeth Jepkosgei (800m), Maryam Yusuf Jamal and Yelena Soboleva (1500m), Yekaterina Volkova (3000m SC), Meseret Defar (pictured at right, 5000m). Also, an explanation of the WAF points system and the current standings. Read more at: [IAAF WAF2007]

World Marathon Majors Conference Call with Race Directors
Race Directors Dave Bedford (London), Carey Pinkowski (Chicago), Mark Milde (Berlin), Mary Wittenberg (New York City) and Guy Morse (Boston) talk about a range of questions regarding their races and the sport in general. Read the complete transcript at: [Track & Field News]
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Kenyans and Ethiopians Continue Dominance of Long-Distance Running

Posted September 14th, 2007 at 5:12 PM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, although he missed his goal of setting a new world record, still ran the fastest 10000m of the 2007 season at the Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussels, Belgium. His time of 26:46.19 is the 21st fastest time ever run. Kenya’s Moses Masai, nearly sneaking up on Bekele at the end, took second place with a time of 26:49.20, the 26th fastest time ever run.
Micah Kogo’s (KEN) 3rd place 26:58.42 and Bernard Kipyego’s (KEN) 4th place 26:59.51 were the 51st and 53rd fastest ever run, respectively.

Those four finishing times put some more resounding exclamation points on Kenya’s and Ethiopia’s near-total dominance of the event in recent history. After today’s race, Kenyan- and Ethiopian-born athletes now own 124 of the 150 fastest times ever run in the Men’s 10000m Run. That’s right, over 82% of the world’s fastest 10000m times of all time belong to Kenyan- and Ethiopian-born runners.
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Bekele’s 10,000m W.R. Assault Tops the Bill in Brussels

Posted September 13th, 2007 at 3:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Kenenisa Bekele’s assault on his own 10,000m world record is set to take center stage when the Golden League series resumes at the 31st edition of the Memorial Van Damme in the Belgian capital on Friday night.

At this competition two years ago, 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.”
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Tariku Bekele, Kipchoge Lead 5000m Qualifying

Posted August 30th, 2007 at 12:50 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia, the younger brother of Kenenisa, and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, won their respective heats of the 5000m as the 11th IAAF World Championships finished its sixth day at Nagai Stadium.

Bekele recorded an improbably slow time of 13:46.42 to win his heat off of a very slow initial pace. Indeed, there was such a large group of athletes still together at the bell that Algeria’s Khoudir Aggoune, Kenya’s Isaac Songok and Joseph Ebuya, and Morocco’s Ahmed Baday were unable to advance to Sunday’s final despite finishing within two seconds of Bekele. Only the top five from each heat automatically qualified for the final.

“I was worried about the weather,” Bekele said in a statement released by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation. “It was very difficult out there and I hope to do well in the final.”

Jesús España of Spain, Bernard Lagat of the USA, Hicham Bellani of Morocco, and Moses Kipsiro of Uganda were the other qualifiers from the first heat. Lagat won the gold medal in the 1500m last night. He chose to celebrate with an ice bath and a pizza before getting to bed to rest up for tonight’s race. The slow pace definitely saved him precious energy.
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Despite attempted coup Bekele retains 10,000m throne

Posted August 27th, 2007 at 8:57 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The prince saw an opportunity to take the throne, but in the end the king’s reign would continue, at least for another two years.

That was the basic scenario which played out in tonight’s much-anticipated men’s 10,000m final which capped an exciting evening of middle and long distance running at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics at Nagai Stadium.

Sileshi Sihine, the Ethiopian who took the silver medal behind compatriot Kenenisa Bekele at both the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2005 World Championships, saw a chance to move up to the top step of the podium when Bekele fell to third place late in the race and appeared to be struggling.

A fast pace set by world cross country champion Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea followed by an attack with three laps to go by Kenyan Martin Irungu Mathathi, set the stage for Sihine’s bid for victory. He shot ahead, opening a big gap and it looked like a gold medal move.
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