Amazing Haile versus Tergat stride-length observation video.

EPIC! Outstanding stuff.

just the facts wrote:Tergat is 'one of' the best kickers, but not the best...

Thanks for sharing the video letsrun.

the430miler and Ian Edwards both in the comments section currently. Sweet.

I think if I did that, I may still (maybe only just) lose to Geb.

the reality of it wrote:

The 1-2-3 method for beating Haile Gebreselassie:

1. Sneak into his hotel room the night before.

2. Locate Haile's bed and move towards it.

3. Roll Haile over onto his back.

the430miler can't spell (or maybe he "texted" his comments).

Imagine if Daniel Komen at his peak had been in this race and there for the final lap shown in the video. He wasn't a 10K guy though, was he? I wonder if he could have hung with Haile and Paul at 10K. If he somehow could, I'll bet he would have made it a three-way race to the line.

Cool video man.

Well since Komen's best 10,000 at the time was only 28:12.79 , and since he ultimately "only" managed 27:38 by 2002, I'd say that it is not worth considering what the greatest 3000 runner ever would be doing in this race, since he would never have been anywhere near it, since it was never an event which he was competetive in. Also, for some reason, Komen has no Olympic results, and I do not know why. Perhaps others may fill us in.

Mike Rosenbaum for About.com writes:

"Daniel Komen of Kenya couldn’t qualify for his country’s Olympic team in 1996 – he was fourth in Kenya’s 5000-meter trials – but shortly after the Atlanta Games he shattered Noureddine Morceli's 3,000-meter world record by 4.4 seconds, with a time of 7:20.67, in Rieta, Italy on Sept. 1, 1996."

Also, uncredited article at

http://www.cs.rochester.edu/~tetreaul/m97s.html

notes:

"Komen Chasing Another Morceli Record

September 3, 1997

RIETI, Italy (Sep 2, 1997 - 1997 EDT) -- In a season overflowing with world records in middle and long-distance running, Wednesday night's Rieti meet is not likely to stem the tide.

With its athlete-friendly altitude, hard Mondo track and penchant for providing pacesetters, the Rieti Grand Prix II meet has produced five records in recent years.

This year Kenyan star Daniel Komen, who set the mark for 3,000 meters here in 1996, will go after Noureddine Morceli's mile record of 3 minutes, 44.39 seconds. Morceli set his record at Rieti in 1993.

Komen, winner of the 5,000 at the World Championships in Athens, Greece, last month, set the record at that distance in Brussels, Belgium, Aug. 22.

It was part of a remarkable stretch of running in which seven records fell in 10 days.

Among the casualties was Moses Kiptanui's 3,000 steeplechase mark, which was broken in succession by fellow Kenyans Wilson Boit Kipketer and Bernard Barmasai. Kiptanui will aim at Barmassai's record of 7:55.72 on Wednesday as he tries to reclaim his record.

Komen, 21, failed to qualify among Kenya's powerful runners for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and has been making up for that ever since, with best-ever performances in the two-mile, 3,000 and 5,000.

The track in this small town nestled in the mountains 35 miles northeast of Rome has been good to several runners, including Morceli, but this year it could provide the backdrop for disappointment for the Algerian.

Once the world's premier distance runner, the 27-year-old no longer sets standards with stunning regularity. Morceli was here last year when Komen took the 3,000 mark and he'll be on hand Wednesday, to run the 1,500.

For that race, organizers were working late Tuesday to try to lure Hicham El-Guerrouj, the man who ended Morceli's streak of world titles in the 1,500 at three in Athens. If the Moroccan runs, it could be with the intention of breaking yet another Morceli world record."

If Komen had been able to stay in peak condition longer, he may have been able to improve his 10,000 times greatly.

If you had to choose the best finishing kick among:

o Haile G.

o Paul Tergat

o Daniel Komen

Who would generally be considered the best kicker?

Bravo! What a beautiful running form video. Favorited.

Beantown Fanny Pack Jogger wrote:

If you had to choose the best finishing kick among:

o Haile G.

o Paul Tergat

o Daniel Komen

Who would generally be considered the best kicker?

Among those three? I'd definitely say Haile, followed by Tergat and then Komen, although I'd hate to up against any of them in a kick finish.

"Daniel Komen of Kenya couldn’t qualify for his country’s Olympic team in 1996 – he was fourth in Kenya’s 5000-meter trials..."

Very strange since Kiptanui was the only faster Kenyan in 1995- Komen had broken 13 that season- and later Komen ran all those fast 5000's in 1996. He must have been injured at the time of Kenya's trials.

MarathonMind wrote:

"Daniel Komen of Kenya couldn’t qualify for his country’s Olympic team in 1996 – he was fourth in Kenya’s 5000-meter trials..."

Very strange since Kiptanui was the only faster Kenyan in 1995- Komen had broken 13 that season- and later Komen ran all those fast 5000's in 1996. He must have been injured at the time of Kenya's trials.

This might offer some clues:

:

"[Kenyan] Federation officials regularly and arbitrarily alter team rosters on the grounds that Runner A, despite doing well at the trials, will not perform as well on the world stage as Runner B. Sometimes they guess correctly, and sometimes they don't. One of the most notorious cases of their being wrong was in 1996, when Runner A was Daniel Komen, who was left off of the Olympic team but later that summer set the world 3,000m record and just missed the 5,000m record while beating Haile Gebrselassie."

"The unpredictable selection process is also draining Kenya's talent pool. Coach Renato Canova says that the desire to know if one will be allowed to compete in a championship meet is a major motive for the many former Kenyans he now coaches for Qatar, including the world record holder in the 3,000m steeplechase, Saif Saaeed Shaheen (born Stephen Cherono). Over tea one morning, I asked aspiring 5,000m runner Andrew Kiplimo if he would switch citizenship if courted by Qatar. "Why not?" he responded. "Here I might run 12:50 and take second position and they might say, 'You don't have enough experience.'"

Paul Bitok, with a 7:28 3,000 PR, won the silver in 1996, behind Venuste Niyongabo.

"If it did, it's his fault for putting himself in that position. Strategy is a major part of winning. Tergat made a mistake, let himself get boxed in and it cost him."

I think it's not fair to have someone else to do the blocking and you (Geb in this case) stay put to make the move and this is why: Mezegebu's only job was to box Tergat therefore I don't consider him as a 1-2 competitor otherwise my argument would have been false. If Geb would be the one blocking Tergat, I would consider it a personal tactic. In this case, Tergat had to face two people combined effort whose intent is to frustrate him and ensure victory for one of them. Athletics is more genuine that this. Credit to Geb though for his challenge but doesn't have my respect in this video. Tergat would've been the victor in this case.

For the Haile-v-Daniel kick, reference the Zurich '97 5000m (WR)

As far as Mezegebu boxing in Tergat, I agree w/the poster who pointed out that Tergat had plenty of opportunity to keep this from happening, he was too tired to make the required reaction. The Kenyans had played these games w/Geb for years (including Atlanta '96) - turnabout is fair play.

Great 1997 article about Komen:

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/04/sports/running-in-a-class-of-his-own.html?pagewanted=1

Another good Komen article:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/3/3_11/komen-says-hes-not-yet-re.shtml

"The records I set in 1997 were to prove to those who excluded me from the Olympic team that I was in very good shape for the 1996 Games."

His biggest regret is that he was left out of Kenya's 1996 Olympic Games squad by what he terms as a "cruel selection procedure" that leaves his cabinet without an Olympic medal.

It was through the bitterness of being denied this chance to participate at the Olympics in Atlanta that the following summer, Komen broke the 1,500 metres world record by clocking three minutes, 29.46 seconds in Monaco.

He was not done yet. Six days later, he broke the 5,000 metres world record in Brussells and four days later, Komen shattered the one mile record in Berlin, clocking 3:46.38.

lanerellis wrote:

With all the discussion about Haile versus Scott Jurek I thought I'd post a link to a stunning slow-motion video showing one of the best finishes in the history of running, that happens to also highlight the wonderful running form that both Haile and Tergat possess.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D56ZAvcxN0

Haile at the line my mere inches. cool to see.