Fat floats wrote:
Thanks for posting the 2008 5000 video, which is Exhibit A on Kenenisa's greatness over Farah. I'll even compare to Farah in 2012 when he was probably at his best, here's that 5000:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C93qwVmBseEWhile Farah's race was certainly good, maybe the toughest he's run, it's nowhere near as dominant and impressive as Kenenisa in Beijing, where he ruled that 5000m with an iron fist.
2012, Farah first really took the lead with 700m to go and never established major separation, with runners right on him until the final turn. Kenenisa led almost the entire race, starting from 1 minute in and only tucking behind his teammates briefly a bit before 3000, and from 3000 on it was a straight up demonstration of what it means to be the GOAT.
In a race that started more than 40 seconds faster, Bekele ran the last 2k 2 seconds faster, pushing the pace all by himself with a pair of Kenyans just waiting on his heels, letting him do all of the work and waiting to attack at any sign of weakness. But there would be no such thing. Kenenisa hammered and hammered with the Kenyans hanging until the bell, at which point he promptly changed into yet another gear and blew them right out of the stadium. Despite having a 20m gap with 200 to go, wagging his finger already at 150, and a 30m gap by time he hit the home stretch, and pulling up at the end, he still finished with a 53.87. Within a second of the all out, fight for his life last lap Farah had to put in for gold in London, being pushed the entire way, and in a considerably slower race.
Farah ran smart in 2012, but Kenenisa ran like a lion in 2008. Farah probably would've put up a tougher fight than Kipchoge and Soi (although those guys were no scrubs, and both hold faster 5000m times than Farah), but I bet Bekele would've even gapped him by 10+ meters on that day. Farah has never shown that kind of dominance, probably because of his superior speed making sit and kick such a guaranteed success. But Bekele had learned his lesson about how that works with El G in 04, and if he had met Farah with both in their prime, he absolutely would've used the same strategy as 08 and it would've worked.
Splits:
Bekele 08 (leading the entire way):
3000 08:00.85 63.16 02:38.56
3400 09:01.70 59.96
3800 10:03.60 61.36
4000 10:32.52 02:31.67
4200 11:03.40 60.84
4600 12:03.80 60.94
5000 12:57.82 53.87 02:25.30
3000 08:42.95 62.47 02:46.25
3400 ?? 61 (Javeliner Tero Pitkamaki interrupted both races at the same time, WTF!)
3800 10:47.50 61.21
4000 11:16.47 02:33.52
4200 11:47.60 62.21
4600 12:48.90 61.1
5000 13:41.67 52.94 02:25.20