Manzana wrote:
Cherono was the real deal.
No idea if he was clean or not, but he was certainly a complete beast.
I remember feeling like it was such a let down that El G lost his first ever 5000m to Cherono. Fast forward a few years and El G runs the second 5000m of his career and smokes Bekele in the last 100m of the Olympic final and Cherono (now Saif Said Shaheen (sp)) has smashed the world record in the steeplechase and it didn't feel like such a disappointment for El G anymore!
Would have loved to have seen an all out 5k with pacesetters or someone taking it out hard between Cherono, El G, and Bekele when they were all in their primes.
Anyway, amazing run from Jager. It didn't bring a tear to my eye, but I can see why it would for someone. I've been trying to explain to my girlfriend throughout the games that having Americans like Huddle hanging with the Africans at Wr pace and Murphy and Jager and Simpson medalling seemed like an impossible dream when I was first getting into track (2001). American distance running has come a long way, and it all started with the high school studs of the late 90's/early 2000s breaking through those barriers and showing everyone that greatness is indeed possible for American running even now.