Kenenisa Bekele: how soon will he totally annihilate the distance WR's?

BekeleslamsCraigM

RE: Kenenisa Bekele: how soon will he totally annihilate the distance WR's? 8/23/2007 10:45PM - in reply to douglas burke

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KENENISA Bekele, the world's greatest distance runner, has slammed Craig Mottram, questioning the hype surrounding the Australian coming into the world titles.

In an extraordinary attack, Bekele said Mottram, who will start the gold medal favourite in the 5000m, was overrated and had got him at a weak moment when he beat him at last year's World Cup in Athens.

Bekele, the world record holder over 5000m and 10,000m, has decided to focus on only the longer event in Osaka but his younger brother Tariku will race against Mottram.

After pulling out of several planned races this season, the Ethiopian finally raced against Mottram in Sheffield last month where he won producing a career-best 3000m time.

"Everyone talked about him," Bekele said.

"Everyone referred to the defeat in Athens last year as a major event and he (Mottram) was given a lot of publicity as the man to have beaten Kenenisa.

"I ran in Sheffield specifically to test myself against Mottram. I found out that there really was never a competition between us. The only reason he beat me in Athens was because I was jetlagged, tired, and had run too much in the season.

"It (the rivalry) was not as it was made out to be. There was no contest in Sheffield. I ran alone when the pacemakers dropped out and the rivalry was perhaps too exaggerated. He is not as strong as people thought."

Aside from Sheffield, Mottram has dominated in Europe this season winning over 5000m in Ostrava and defeating Tariku Bekele over two miles in Oregon.

Kenenisa Bekele, the reigning Olympic 10,000m champion, was listed to run in Oregon, but pulled out at the last minute.

Mottram's coach Nic Bideau shrugged off the Ethiopian's attack last night saying it showed he obviously doesn't rate his brother's abilities.

"He (Mottram) has beaten his brother a couple of times so I guess he doesn't think his brother is very good," he said.

"I would say at Sheffield, yeah, he (Mottram) wasn't as strong as we thought so he's right, Bekele, he wasn't as good at Sheffield but he was good at Athens.

"We can't do anything about that (jetlag in Athens), that is his fault and his problem. Look, he is the world record holder, he is the world champion, he is the Olympic champion, but in Athens last year Mottram was better and that is all we know.

"He (Bekele) has won most of the time but Buster has beaten Bekele one more time than most people have.

"We knew he really wanted to beat Buster in Sheffield, we saw that and that just goes to show he must think a bit more of him than he is saying because he came out really ready in Sheffield."

Mottram arrived in Japan yesterday and headed to his training base in Chiba where he will stay until the heats of the 5000m next Thursday.

He has recovered from a hamstring spasm suffered last week during a session in London.

Bideau said he wouldn't use Bekele's stinging attack as a motivational tool for his man.

"I never mention those sort of things to him because he (Mottram) is doing everything he can anyway," Bideau said.

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