Ethiopian Team Named For World Cross, Bekele to Double By Elshadai Negash (c) 2005
Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
ADDIS ABABA (04-Mar) -- The
Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) has entered Olympic 10,000m champion
Kenenisa Bekele in both the short and long course teams as it named a strong
provisional squad of 29 runners for the 33rd IAAF World Cross Country
Championships in St. Etienne/ St. Galmier, France.
EAF's newly-appointed
technical director Dube Jilo confirmed that Bekele will in fact be running both
races in France. "I can confirm that Kenenisa [Bekele] will run both races in
France," he said. "But. we have until twenty-four hours before the competition
to make any changes."
Bekele is winless in 2005 having lost two indoor
races in Boston (to Irishman Alistair Cragg) and Birmingham (to countryman
Markos Genetti). But he is on course for a fourth short and long course double
in St. Etienne/ St. Galmier.
The squad announced by the Federation,
however, does not include Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Sileshi Sihine who has
failed to recover in time from a niggling knee injury and thus fails to make the
Ethiopian team.
Ethiopian provisional team for the 33rd IAAF World Cross
Country Championships in St. Etienne/ St. Galmier, France
