Bekele in a class of his own

2008-08-17 18:43

Beijing - Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia defended his 10 000m title medal at the Olympics on Sunday, producing a devastating burst of speed on the last lap to see off any pretenders.

The 26-year-old triple world champion clocked a new Olympic record of 27min 01.17sec, with compatriot Sileshi Sihine claiming silver - as he did at the Athens Games in 2004 - in 27:02.77.

Kenyan Micah Kogo ensured there was no Ethiopian cleansweep, taking bronze in 27:04.11.

Bekele's 35-year-old team-mate Haile Gebrselassie, Olympic 10 000m champion in 1996 and 2000, came in sixth. Together, the two runners have ensured Ethiopian dominance in the event for a fourth successive Olympic Games.

Just as female compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba had done to win Friday's 10 000m, Bekele hit the front just as the bell rung for the final lap, in perfect long-distance running conditions at the National Stadium.

Within the space of just a few seconds, Bekele had opened up the decisive gap between himself and the chasing pack.

Gebreselassie followed but in vain as he was overtaken by Sihine, who kicked past Kogo for second spot with 300m to go.

Manhandled by Kogo

Bekele, the world record holder over both 5&Nbsp;000m and 10 000m, kicked again with 200m to go as Eritrea's Zersenay Tadesse was manhandled by Kogo around the final bend.

Kogo just saw off Kenyan team-mate Moses Ndiema Masai for bronze, with Tadesse coming in fifth at 1sec, with Gebrselassie a further 1.57sec adrift.

Eritrean Kidane Tadesse had guided the main peloton through the halfway point of the race at 13min 48.00sec.

With 10 laps to go, the pack reshuffled as runners battled for position, and Gebrselassie briefly took up the lead, to the cheers of a large flag-waving Ethiopian contingent of fans following tucked in the stands by the finish line.

Qatar's Ahmad Hassan Abdulladh and Kenyan Martin Mathathi pushed the early pace, with the main contenders happy to follow in their wake.

With three laps to go, the main group had reduced to seven, but Bekele was in ominous form and bided his time for the final attack.

The question now for Bekele is whether he will attempt the double after twice falling just short, in Athens and the 2003 world championships where he came away with a silver and bronze resepctively.

The men's 5 000m heats are scheduled for Wednesday, with the final coming on Saturday.

- AFP