IF you watched one of his interviews after the race , he was asked if he felt this was the best he can do now at his age, and he clearly and openly said that he feels he can run even faster in the next year or 2.
Bekele is just amazing. Every time I think his career is over he proves me wrong.
Bekele is and always has been the GOAT. I remember when people tried to say that Mo was. Not even in the conversation anymore. If Kipchoge is really his stated age (no accusations on my part, either way), I doubt he will be running 2:04 at about 42. And respect to Cheptegai, but I think that Kenny B but have mopped the floor with him in a 5K or a 10K race... And probably also with a better world record in the modern shoes and tracks.
IF you watched one of his interviews after the race , he was asked if he felt this was the best he can do now at his age, and he clearly and openly said that he feels he can run even faster in the next year or 2.
Bekele is just amazing. Every time I think his career is over he proves me wrong.
Hes the absolute GOAT!
Nobody has ever said they have peaked and it is all downhill…
He definitely deserves one shot at Olympic Marathon glory. It isn’t like they have a bunch of guys noticeably better..
Bekele the absolute mf GOAT. The wind looked terrible. The man is in mid 2:03 shape easy. Same in Valencia which had a super hot opening split.
Tola ran like a moran at the front of the pack eating wind for the whole race. Same as Kipchoge in Boston. You win a race and forget everything you know about good strategy lmao.
I agree with y our logic. I think the case can be made that Bekele's 2:04 today is better than the 2:03 that Geleta ran in Seville.
Not sure I'd put him on the team. Need to take his age into consideration. This could have been his peak. Paris could be a DNF for him.
I see what you are saying but his agent Jos Hermens - at least a few years ago thought the opposite. HE told me you wnat to keep him racing regularly so he's focused.
I think the selectors should put him on. When he was left off in 2016, it made some sense as Bekele didn't race at all in 2015 and he was only third in his comeback in London (2:06:36 when two guys ran in the 2:03s). Now they ended up looking like fools as Bekele broke the national record in Berlin that September (2:03:03) but you can't really blame the selectors for picking the following men ahead of Bekele
Lemi Berhanu - had won Boston that spring (and run 2:04:23 in Dubai for 2nd, was Ethiopia's fastest man in 2015 as well). Tesfaye Abera - Won Dubai (2:04:24) and Hamburg that spring (2:06;58). Feyisa Lelisa - Tokyo champ (2:06:56) in 2016.
If you were going to take anyone off for Bekele, it probably would have been Lelisa and he won the silver medal.
Bekele got ROBBED in 201 by Covid. In 2019, he ran 2:01:41 in Berlin. SHould have been a lock for the Olympics. But he didn't record a marathon finish in 2020 (did he start one?) and wasn't on the 2021 team.
I find it fascinating to see Bekele still competing at this level given how greats who have come long after him have flamed out. Like Mo Farah and Galen Rupp. These were two guys who both beat him at the Olympics 12 years ago but have never sniffed a marathon time this fast, let alone in windy conditions. And Bekele is much older than them. How does he do it?
Back in the day I must admit I assumed he might have been on the pharmaceuticals but now I just assume the talent level is so so so so so much higher. Rupp needed Salazar and then everything to go right to have a shot at a medal. Farah needed Salazar. Bekele needs like 3 months of training.
2020 he won the London half in March(?). After London was cancelled he was supposed to later run the weird London loop marathon in the fall (the one Kipchoge lost) but pulled out a few days before the race.
Goat, maybe but you don't earn goat status with runner up finishes
He will never be the marathon GOAT. He could have retired a decade ago and he would have a compelling argument for the distance running GOAT. The fact that he’s contending for the win in London 2 decades+ into his pro career just further pads his resume and reinforces the feeling that he’s the most talented in history.
Yes, so he had already attained it by winning over races over decades not finishing second
Thats why doping is a disaster for the sport!!! Because here you have an Absolute Legend at 42 still very competitive . And he had to fight with some mister nobody through all these years. I Ve always said. Doping is a disaster for the more talented runners. Because It makes everything upside down . The One less talented but a Better responder and ready to risk more has more advantage than another runner like Bekele with lot more Natural talent that probably Dont respond in the same way to doping and Dont want to risk so much
Thats why doping is a disaster for the sport!!! Because here you have an Absolute Legend at 42 still very competitive . And he had to fight with some mister nobody through all these years. I Ve always said. Doping is a disaster for the more talented runners. Because It makes everything upside down . The One less talented but a Better responder and ready to risk more has more advantage than another runner like Bekele with lot more Natural talent that probably Dont respond in the same way to doping and Dont want to risk so much
Oh ffs shut up about drugs. There is no maguc sauce. I thought you were supposed to be interested in physiology?
There is no magic metabolism to be attained through doping. Your ignorance is part of the problem.
How much faster in Nike/Adidas trainers? Are Anta trainers any good?!
it is likely that anta has back engineered what the other shoe companies are doing. im sure they are very close if not the same. the chinese are very good at this.
There is an interview with Bekele before (!) the race, I think with Athletics Weekly. He said that he is still capable of a 2:01:xx. Who would have believed that before the race? To be honest, I did not. Well, after the race and the poor conditions I really had to change my opinion. Bekele's outstanding ability to improve is proven. And it is still there. He should start in Paris.
He was asked post race if he will come back to win London and he said no disrespect but no lol I love that he doesn't care that much about it (I hate London and big cities) he just wants to run WR or get gold medal at Olympics.
