Will Kenenisa Bekele Set A New Personal Best On Sunday?

Both Chet and Seyta are correct. Chet is correct in his usage, and Seyta correct that he sounds like an idiot.

I can't believe there is a 20+ post thread arguing about the definition of "last".

A new pb? Sorry Chet, but that's redundant.

It's nice to use Lagat as an example but he is really exceptional.

Geb would be a better barometer.

He ran on the track in 4 Olympics but did not medal in the last two even though he kept good fitness through the years.

In 2008, Geb set a WR in the marathon but could not medal on the track.

In 2004 he fell short of an Olympic medal even though he earned a WC Silver in 2003.

Bekele will be 30 this summer.

Considering he ran the world lead last year, I would say it is safe to assume he will be a contender this year.

4 years from now?

Only time will tell. The odds are against him but I think it is mostly up to him and how much he wants it.

We may see an El G move where he puts everything into this year and tries to finish on top and then walk away.

Lumber Man wrote:

chet wrote:] I think he will run faster than 27:57 at the Great Ireland 10K on Sunday. This year is KB's last chance at Olympic gold on the track, so he won't be fooling around, even if he's a bit past his prime.

Actually, you stated that this is his last chance at winning Olympic Gold which is certantly not true. He will have a CHANCE to make the Ethiopian team, hit the A standard, and win Olympic Gold every Olympic year for the rest of his life.

Thanks for coming out.

That's what I was thinking. Lighten up, chet.

I hope he does run , but do you know how he is doing in training...? Have you any stats to stand your statment on sir?..Its a hilly course in the second half of the race. Not the fastest course in the world but the most impressive city Park in the world. He'll be very impressed with the Phoenix Park either way..And maybe this will be the race to set him up for Olympic gold against Farah and co....

Finally, a post worth responding to...I would only disagree with whether "it is mostly up to him and how much he wants it." As you state, KB will be 34 in the summer of 2016 and there will be new talent who he won't be able to sit and outkick (Geb faced the same problem eventually). KB's biggest advantage, as you know, was that he could win almost any kind of race. That may not be the case in London and almost certainly won't be the case in 2016. Also, because of KB's recent history of injuries, it would be somewhat surprising if he were able to do the requisite training to still be great in 4 more years...

toro wrote:

It's nice to use Lagat as an example but he is really exceptional.

Geb would be a better barometer.

He ran on the track in 4 Olympics but did not medal in the last two even though he kept good fitness through the years.

In 2008, Geb set a WR in the marathon but could not medal on the track.

In 2004 he fell short of an Olympic medal even though he earned a WC Silver in 2003.

.

I don't think Geb in 2008 is a fair example. The event he ran in the Olympics was not the event he had been training for. ANYONE would have had that outcome, including Lagat. Geb actually did pretty well considering he had not been training for it

KB claims he has lost some weight and is not decided yet on whether he might double in London.

"My training has been going well and I have lost the extra weight that I was carrying," said Bekele. "So it is very good that I can come here and have a hard race. We'll see how it goes but I'm feeling good."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/13/athletics-bekele-idUSL3E8FD9B420120413

I like this chet guy. A real straight shooter.

chet wrote:

Here's a tip: when you can't disagree without calling other people morons, you come off like a child. This is why people say you sound stupid.

Feel free to call me a moron or attribute this post to the mysterious person you think is oppressing you through many aliases.

Azaleas wrote:

chet wrote:

Here's a tip: when you can't disagree without calling other people morons, you come off like a child. This is why people say you sound stupid.

Feel free to call me a moron or attribute this post to the mysterious person you think is oppressing you through many aliases.

Hey, I like morons. Without them, where would we be?

While it's true that Bekele has always crossed the 10K finish line in 1ast, his WC run last year was a DNF. That means he was in the race, and did not win it.

Certainly he ran an amazing race soon after, but I'm currently not sure he's going to be able to pull off OLY gold. He's perhaps the greatest distance runner ever, but he's human and will not win forever.

I meant "1st", sorry for the weird typo.

Scottish wrote:

chet,

Want to meet up for a streetfight?

ha! this actually made me "lol" :-)

chet wrote:

I think he will run faster than 27:57 at the Great Ireland 10K on Sunday. This year is KB's last chance at Olympic gold on the track, so he won't be fooling around, even if he's a bit past his prime.

You know his PR is faster than 27:57 right?

Not on the roads homey.

chet wrote:

I think he will run faster than 27:57 at the Great Ireland 10K on Sunday. This year is KB's last chance at Olympic gold on the track, so he won't be fooling around, even if he's a bit past his prime.

Chet, you've got my vote as having the best ability to evaluate Bekele. First, Brussels last fall and now this. You da man.