I don’t know if he qualifies but I would hope Ethiopia would let him run Paris 2024 as his final race. Gun for a medal. If Meb can get 4th at 37, Bekele can get a medal at 41 or whatever. The Olympic marathons always end up being home for some upset performances given the lack of pacemakers, the unknown courses and weather, etc. that would be one where he could actually do something special.
Somewhere like Berlin he is no longer able to stick with the leaders through 30-35k.
as for if he is the GOAT? Yes, in my opinion. But I think there is a good argument for Haile as well, and if we’re putting El G in the same analysis, he has a very good case too. If we are considering all sexes, throw Hassan and Kipyegon in the discussion.
for me, it was his dominance over every surface. where previously Tergat was the XC king and Haile the track king, Bekele made both an empire for awhile, and was close to invincible at both XC and 10k for his prime. The knock against him will be his inconsistency later on as well as the perception, whether real or not, that he tended to give up when he couldn’t win.
his greatest performance is probably his 2003 10k in Paris, when he closed with a sub 13 5k to beat Geb, or his 2008 5000 in Beijing when he absolutely crushed the field including Kipchoge. His XC win where Kipchoge challenged and then got absolutely crushed in the final couple laps was something to behold as well.
Agree on all fronts w/Bekele at GOAT. And the 2019 race was and remains inspiring.
When I think back to inspiring, incredible marathon running, though, I've got a place in my heart for Sammy Wanjiru. His 2008 Olympic gold, which he won by setting off like a madman on a hot, humid day and running an Olympic record, 2:06:32, still strikes me as an otherworldly performance. Not far behind it is his final surge in the 2010 Chicago marathon, where he repeatedly surged against Kebede, then destroyed him with one final unanswerable surge.
This video clip shows the final minutes of the race as leader Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia was repeatedly pestered by Wanjiru's persistence. The Kenyan took th...
Is this right? Did Sammy break the Olympic record by almost three minutes in 2008? On a hot, humid day, no less. He literally ran everybody else into the ground, slowly but surely, and then left them in the dust.
Watch as Wansiru's lung-bursting efforts are rewarded with the Olympic record in the men's marathon at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games.http://www.olymp...
Is this right? Did Sammy break the Olympic record by almost three minutes in 2008? On a hot, humid day, no less. He literally ran everybody else into the ground, slowly but surely, and then left them in the dust.
Yes, he did. The previous record was Carlos Lopes in 1984 (2:09:21). Sammy beat that record by almost three minutes. And he still holds the Olympic record, by almost 90 seconds.
Is this right? Did Sammy break the Olympic record by almost three minutes in 2008? On a hot, humid day, no less. He literally ran everybody else into the ground, slowly but surely, and then left them in the dust.
Yes, he did. The previous record was Carlos Lopes in 1984 (2:09:21). Sammy beat that record by almost three minutes. And he still holds the Olympic record, by almost 90 seconds.
Let us celebrate the great Bekele. But let us not forget the remarkable Sammy Wanjiru.
My last post. Sorry for obsessing. I remembered the weather correctly, but it was even worse than I remembered. One of the greatest marathon performances of all time, without question.
Wanjiru's marathon is one of the best ever. Honestly, if I were going to put another performance up against it, I might have to put Kiptum's London race THIS YEAR. It was an absolutely wild (and, uh, at least for me, somewhat unbelievable for someone that wasn't on the radar 5 years ago...) run.
lol I just read his wiki and Bekele did not lose a 10,000 meter race for EIGHT YEARS. He ran his first 10,000 in June 20003 in 26:53 (debut!). His next race was the world championships where he ran perhaps the greatest 10,000 ever run.
In my opinion, given his dominance of Cross country, 5k and 10k, and many medals, as well as just missing being the record holder for 5k 10k and marathon at once, he is the GOAT. Feel free to give your opinions.
His Instagram post yesterday just says he is not done. Didn’t see any quote in the Facebook post just that he released a statement which isn’t there. Of course, I do think it’s about time but would of been nice to see him in Olympic marathon prior I retiring.
I hope he has all the support and resources(legal) to get a solid crack at Berlin again. If one thing happens in our sport they would be astonishing it would be the great bekele getting this marathon record. It would be one of the greatest sports achievements all time. I hope he goes for it
Honestly 2:01:41 was cool enough as is. He didn’t really have anything to prove to anyone after that. He proved not only was he GOAT but he could dial it back and essentially equal Kipchoge’s record. Three seconds over 26.2 miles is nothing. Bekele proved his range.
Honestly 2:01:41 was cool enough as is. He didn’t really have anything to prove to anyone after that. Two to three seconds doesn’t move the needle much.
It does physically hurt to watch 2:01:41. Every time I watch I hope it somehow will end differently.
Agreed, if he did actually beat Kipchoge's time that day while still holding the 5 and 10 WRs it would've been the perfect ending to his career. I wonder if he would've gotten it if Legese hadn't made that suicidal surge and instead worked together with him near the end? No point in trying to make excuses though, it played out how it did.
What strikes me about watching 2019 Berlin is how utterly nonplussed the commentators are about the attempt. There seems to be a media narrative that I don’t understand about Kipchoge’s dominance at marathon that they didn’t want disrupted.
it’s similar with marketing. For example, Nike took the Miler color way that Eliud wore to win the 2003 WC 5k and worked it into the Alphafly as a throwback/honor.
Yeah, Bekele ran 12:37 WR in the same color of that shoe.
Waking up and reading about Berlin 2019 was like waking up on christmas morning as a kid. The shock and joy on these boards was something to behold and I don't think there's been anything like it since. Jakob's performances have a dulled sense of inevitability, by comparison
Who has ever had as much talent as him at the distances? 5000m and 10000m world record holder until Cheruiyot a few years ago, nearly the marathon wr holder and 2nd best ever, many world xc championships and medals. He could get one healthy marathon training period under his belt and almost break the world record even late into his 30s.
He won't be retiring soon. I'm sure he will keep going so he gets the WR. But then after the WR I'm sure he would like to go for an Olympic gold in the thon. I don't see anything on the next race been his last. He can keep going. He will continue to send everyone home devastated
It worked! Brought Banana Bread out of hiding. Although, he didn't use the word "literally," so it could be an imposter.
