I just didn't think it was much of a race, and didn't show whether Bekele was in great condition or not. The whole thing seemed scripted to provide Bekele with a safe win without undue stress.
I just didn't think it was much of a race, and didn't show whether Bekele was in great condition or not. The whole thing seemed scripted to provide Bekele with a safe win without undue stress.
It was just a low-key start to a long season.....
Avocados Number wrote:
I just didn't think it was much of a race, and didn't show whether Bekele was in great condition or not. The whole thing seemed scripted to provide Bekele with a safe win without undue stress.
Avocados Number wrote:
old tymer wrote:I suspect that if anyone really could have beaten him today, they would have been happy to have done it.
I suspect that if anyone really could have beaten him today, that runner simply wasn't invited to the race.
But I hope you will understand my point. Perhaps the best 2-miler in the world really did win the race, but it barely qualified as a real race, in the sense that a world or Olympic championship is a real race.
Fair enough. As the term "invitational" suggests, the meet organizers can invite whomever they choose.
Haters,
DO you really think that Edwin SOi (12:52 PB) Chebi and joseph Ebuya.. who i think is an excellent young runner are invited to run behind bekele in a sham race.
For sure Kenenisa is having trouble running at the same level. But even at 80% he can win a tactical race.
If the Kenyans paid attention to the pace they could have made the race not come down to a final kick.
I give kenenisa credit for coming out and putting it out on the line.
Avocados Number wrote:
Obviously, he looked really good at the end, but the whole race seemed like a set-up for him. In fact, it looked as though his last competitor intentionally went wide with about 300 meters to go to avoid impeding him. In some respects, the whole race illustrated some of the problems with the European track circuit as a sporting spectacle -- a bunch of pacemakers who aren't legitimate competitors just directing traffic for most of the "race," followed by the coronation of the pre-race favorite on the last lap.
It's funny you say that because these Kenyans and Ethiopians are the same guys who win the medals at all the championships. To say that they can't race is unfair, its a pretty tough road for those guys to even get out of Kenya and into these European meets, they seem to be the trickiest racers in the world actually. Our US runners could learn a lot from them.
As far as Bekele not beating anyone good, you need to look at the PRs of some of the guys he just beat. One has a 12:52 PR. Bekele does not duck anyone, that should be clear by now. He runs his races regardless of whether he is in perfect shape or not, win or lose. If he gets an easy day at the office...good, he's earned it.
That's not really responding to my point, is it?
I'm not saying that Bekele didn't beat anyone good, or that Kenyans and Ethiopeans can't race (which would be crazy). I am saying that the race appears to have been organized as a set-up for a relatively easy win by Bekele. That's not particularly unusual in professional track and field, but in most other sports, that wouldn't be acceptable as a model for competition.
Bekele is washed up! Geb should quit racing! The east Africans are fading...
On a serious note, 8:13 should not be considered a fast time for Bekele, who I believe is an 8:04 2 miler if Im not mistaken. Goucher ran 8:12, Webb ran 8:11, hell Kipchoge ran 8:07 in 2005. Im assuming the race was not set up for a sub 8:10, but my point is that whether or not he is washed up, he didnt really run that fast today by Bekele standards.
Poor Bekele. I suspect we will be hearing a retirement speech soon. What a shame.
i don't think that he was trying to run a fast time.
He just wanted to "test himself" because his training had gone crappy.
There is no reason for me to believe that he will not be in 7:28- 12:40 - 26:25 shape in august.
He will trounce the kenyans.
On a serious note, please refrain from all further idiotic posts. Better yet, refrain from all posts in the future. Thank you.
You girls are absolutely lame. I agree with Ethio Boy, if the Kenyans were in the race they were there to win. Soi and Chebii are no hacks, they are top notch Kenyan runners and they are always out to run down Bek. or Geb.