Tariku Bekele, Augustine Choge, or Samuel Wanjiru which is the best Junior in 2005?

you know what i fear in the near future ethiopia will face the same problem as that of kenyan as lots and lots of ethiopian talented runner coming specially in 5k and 10k.

as you know the chance to reperesent WC or OC you have to be the best and there will be a tendency to shift to other country as the athletes fail to score a good result like Elvan abaylegesse or zenebech tola( meryam).

i tell you ethiopian cold not take 1-2-3 5000mr had it been elvan participated.

Sileshi Sihine is an outstanding athlete and capable of winning a medal in either the 5000m or 10000m; however, he doesn't have the kick of Kenenisa Bekele. Boniface Kiprop and Samuel Wanjiru have shown they are narrowing the gap when the both ran faster than 26:45. I'm not underrating Sileshi so much as I think those two youngster will continue to get strong enough to stay with Sileshi or the other Ethiopians. In the 10000m the Ethiopians will start to have company late in the Championship races and unless they have an outstanding kick (like Kenenisa) Boniface Kiprop and Samuel Wanjiru could take the silver or bronze. Thats not to say Sileshi isn't a great runner its identifying other runners have made huge strides to becoming his equal in the 10000m.

Vipam,

I think what is working against Sileshi is the fact that he is another Ethiopian like Kenenisa Bekele.....If you just look at only the facts without saying so and so has good potential in the future...since the Paris world championship only GEB was the only one who managed to finish ahead of him of course other than Bekele ....so there shouldn't be any denying that he is an under-rated runner. Let me put it in another way....if it was Kiprop who had the same results as Sihine we would be talking about a GEB vs TERGAT kind of situation......we all know he is much better than the other Ethiopians and the Kenyan runners right now but he is not recognized as such.

On the other hand i remember for almost 2 years most people mentioned CHEBI was going to be his main challenger because he had a killer kick for the last 400 meters......then it was Kipchoge....then it was Songok....then it was Augustine Choge .... now it is Wanjiru...Kiprop etc. etc.....I would say at least let us wait until they consistently be close to Kenenisa and sometimes beat him before we even talk about any rivalry.......as far as i am concerned the way things are right now we are talking about Bekele being on another planet and everyone else is trying to find on which planet he is ....and if there is one guy who could even dare to give anyone the right direction it would be Sihine.

** Vipam since you are usually very informed i would like to know if you know what EL G's next moves are??? I still think if he comes back today he still will be the best miler in the world**

Yes I will agree that Sileshi Sihine is a under-rated runner; however, despite his excellent times I don't feel he is a threat to Kenenisa Bekele. Sileshi Sihine will continue to improve but unless he improve his kick Kenenisa will always be a step ahead of him. My opinion is that I feel Boniface Kiprop and Samuel Wanjiru have more room for drastic improvement and thus has the potential to challenge Sileshi Sihine. Its not saying Sileshi isn't a great athlete because he is the 2nd best 10000m runner in the world (the possibility for Wanjiru and Kiprop to challenge Sileshi for silvers at Championships is great).

Hicham El Guerrouj has given much insight as to his definite plans he pondered 2006 being his last year and then another source stated he will be in athletics to 2008 Olympics. One thing is certain he has been heavily involved in a project "Eradicating Poverty: Timelines and Lifelines" and recently was at the 2nd round table at the 58th Annual DPI/NCO Conference.

Seleshi had a 25 Second last 200 meters in the Wolrd Athletic Final. He has a better ic than Eluid Kipchoge..the same guy that beat Kenenisa and Haile.

Before the World Champ.. this piece of trash called vipiam was saying that Isaac Songok was gonna win the World Title.

He is a Kenyan ass kisser (kikuyu lovin mazunguu trash) because thats all he knows... He does not know that Kenya is there by default... Ethiopians have always had better runner, higher mountains, better food, better weather, sexier females, fiercer worriors..

Kenya Vs Ethiopia is not a contest..

Vipiam do you know what a fesam is.. (it means a person who farts a lot) thats what you are... you are a little fart.

balege, ye shrmuta lej, zenbleh tisadebleh.

enateh tebeda, Vipiam has the wright to comment any thing,

esh dashen shutam

Dashen

You are about as smart as you are articulate. It is so obvious that I post more thread concerning Ethiopians (Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba, Gete Wami etc) than I do Kenyans. It shows your lack of intelligence to post that I praise Kenyan's more than any country. The next time you post please think before you write and write what you know (nothing)!

Dashen

This is from the Kenenisa Bekele thread DATED 8/2/2005

"Kenenisa Bekele is still my pick for both the 5000m and 10000m Gold; however, if he creates a mistake I feel Iaasc Songok and Eliud Kipchoge could be the only thing to prevent him from the double. Tirunesh Dibaba should win the 10000m Gold if Hunia Xing isn't really in top shape but Berhane Adere, Paula Radcliffe, and Edith Masai should make it interesting. In the 5000m hopefully someone will take it out very quick and burn some speed out of Meseret Defar and Tirunesh could then take both the 5000m and 10000m. "

.....

Don't know how anyone with commen sense could arrive at the conclusion that I thought Iaasc WOULD beat Kenenisa (LOL)-you are a joke at best.

dear borther,

i tell you dashene is one moron guy knew nothing about athletics and i have already respond to him accorddingly.

therofre, do not panic, you know what we say in amhaic ENGAY RAS it mean stone head, dashen is just like that and i tell you kenyan athletes are good in evry dicipline from 800 mr to marthon

Vipam.....you have to forgive Dashen because he is just trying to copmensate for his own low self esteem through the accomplishments and victories of his country men and women.....they are so gracious in victory as they are in defeat...but Dashen just shows up few months ago on this board and all he knows is that he is from Ethiopia and the only athletes that should be worthy of any praise are only Ethiopians...just look at all his comments eversince he joined this message board ....he has just one dimentional brain.........he can only make his point with insults and vulgar words...as we all know that only shows us that he is not intellectually at the level of most people who regularly visit this message boards.....there can't be any better example than his latest stupid comment that shows that he is a light weight in the thinking department....When Dashen came out swinging against Vipam as "Kenyan Ass Kisser" he made himself look so stupid ....he doesn't even know that Vipam is regularly accused of being a supporter of Ethiopian athletes ever since in 2002 he started a thread about Kenenisa whom he said at the time is about to annihilate the long distance races......Dashen is an Ethiopian but i am sure he didn't know who Kenenisa was in 2002.....as far as the Kenyans are concerned yes they are not as dominant as they used to be eventhough they still have more depth than anyother country from 800m to Marathon and that is just the FACT....for Vipam i say keep on the good work that you have always done.....and for Dashen i will say simply GROW UP ...this is not your local Ethiopian/Eritrean website...this message board is for grown-ups who appreciate good athletics performance no matter where it came from.

bravo 10k observer

tell him this stone head, i am sure decent ethiopian will not e mail such a kind of usless idea and i total agree with you, vipam forwarding a balanced and actual one.

one thing s certain with out keyan the middle distance and long ditance i will not be attractive

Wonder whose the best now?

WORLD RECORD WANJIRU

YOUNG KENYAN DEPOSES ‘EMPEROR’ HAILE

Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya broke the world half-marathon record with a scintillating display of front-running in the Ras Al Khaimah International Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates early this morning (Sunday)

Wanjiru, just 20 years old, clocked 58min 53sec, and in fact retrieved the world record, taken from him by Ethiopian ‘great’ Haile Gebrselassie, who ran 58.55 in Phoenix, Arizona on January 15, 2006. Then officially a junior, Wanjiru had set the previous record one year earlier, with 59.16 in Rotterdam.

When ‘Geb’ set his world record, he was paced in what became a solo run, whereas Wanjiru today dismantled one of the best fields ever assembled, thanks to the record overall prize money of $155.000 on offer in Ras Al Khaimah.

The youngest man in the field, Wanjiru was up against world champion at the distance, Fabiano Joseph of Tanzania, who eventually seventh; winner of the Boston and Chicago Marathons, Robert Cheruyiot, who finished fifth; and a host of other top east and north Africans, the acknowledged masters of modern distance running.

Wanjiru set about his task with a will, shooting to the front of a field of around 15 men who hurtled through five kilometres in 13.27. That was slightly downhill, whereas the second 5k of the out-and-back course was slightly uphill. That was covered in 14.20, for an outrageous 10k ‘split’ of 27.47, which would do credit to a track runner. By this time, the contenders were down to four, Wanjiru heading fellow Kenyans, Patrick Makau and Francis Kibiwott, and Deriba Merga of Ethiopia. Cheruyiot, Joseph and his Tanzanian colleague, John Yuda were 20 seconds back, with the pack another 20 seconds behind them.

Wanjiru was briefly headed at several stages, but never for more than 100 metres before he surged back into the lead. With similar gradients on the road back, the third and fourth 5k sections were run in 13.42 and 14.21. Kibiwott had dropped away by then, and the most serious threat to Wanjiru came when Merga took the lead with just two kilometres to run. But it was a ploy to try and slow the pace, which brought a rapid response from Makau and Wanjiru, the latter saying afterwards, “I thought I could win from about 15k, the others seemed to be tiring. I knew the Ethiopian was bluffing when he took the lead”.

Makau, who eventually finished second said, “When there three of us, Wanjiru and me talked together in our language (Swahili), and said, ‘Come on, let’s drop this guy (Merga)’,” which they promptly did. That was the signal for Wanjiru to stretch away by himself, and with just over three minutes for the last kilometre and 97 metres, making up the 21.1k distance, he sprinted home to victory and the world record. Makau was second in 59.13, the third fastest time in history, and Merga was third in 59.43.

“I’m very happy to get my world record back after Haile broke it last year,” said Wanjiru. Contacted by telephone in Addis Ababa by Getaneh Tedessa, one of his management company, Gebrselassie promised a quick response, “as soon as I can find another half-marathon”. That will have to wait until after Geb runs the London Marathon in April, against another top-class field, including marathon world record holder, Paul Tergat, who was at the finish line as (non-competing) guest of honour, picking up a cheque from the Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah for the Paul Tergat Foundation.

The women’s race was a more sedate affair, with a group of a dozen running together until around 16k. That was whittled down to a half dozen by the last kilometre, and eventual winner, Berhane Adere sprinted away in the last 600 metres. The former world 10,000 metres champion from Ethiopia won in 70.58, ahead of colleagues, Teyiba Erkesse, second in 71.02, and Bizunesh Bekele, third in 71.06.

But the day belonged to Wanjiru. His winning cheque, like that for Adere was $20,000. But with one of the objects of the race to put Ras Al Khaimah on the map, the man most responsible for the development of one of the smaller of the Emirates, the Crown Prince, Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi showed his appreciation of Wanjiru’s geography lesson by giving the young Kenyan an impromptu $5000 bonus.

ends

RESULTS

Place name bib no country time prize money in USD

MEN

1 Sammy WANJIRU 3 KEN 58.53 20K + 5K bonus

2 Patrick MAKAU 9 KEN 59.13 13K

3 Deriba MERGA 23 ETH 59.43 8K

4 Francis KIBIWOTT 5 KEN 60.07 6K

5 Robert CHERUYIOT 25 KEN 60.37 5K

6 John YUDA 7 TAN 60.38 4K

7 Fabiano JOSEPH 1 TAN 60.53 3K

8 Matthew KOECH 15 KEN 61.02 2K

9 Mubarak SHAMI 2 QAT 61.15 1K

10 Solomon BUSENDICH 16 KEN 61.36 500

WOMEN

1 Berhane ADERE 51 ETH 70.58 20K

2 Teybia ERKESSO 61 ETH 71.02 13K

3 Bizunesh BEKELE 60 ETH 71.06 8K

4 Dire Tune 56 ETH 71.10 6K

5 Rita JEPTOO 52 KEN 71.18 5K

6 Caroline CHEPTANUI 64/KEN 71.32 4K

7 Everline KIMWEI 57 KEN 71.37 3K

8 Salina KOSGEI 54 KEN 71.47 2K

9 Asmae LEGHZAOUI 55 MOR 71.49 1K

10 Hilalia JOHANNES 62 ETH 71.06 500